Diwali/Festival of light Rajasthan mandana, "Adorning the floors for Diwali" — part 5 During Diwali, houses are renovated, mud houses are repaired, the thatched roofs are redone. Walls, courtyards, cooking hearths, inner rooms, pillars, doorways are decorated with mandana, and women draw inspiration from various sources.
Mandana/Rajasthan Rajasthan mandana, "Villages around Bundi" — part 4 Perched on a hillock, it is a densely built up area and houses adapt themselves to uneven grounds by spreading harmoniously their volumes on different levels. Alignments, projections and recesses allow glimpses of terraces overlooking other open spaces. This is how I notice freshly painted mandana.
Mandana/Rajasthan Rajasthan mandana, "Preparing Diwali, Bundi and nearby villages" — part 3 Among birds, the peacock has been a source of inspiration for poets, bards, dancers, and painters since antiquity. In the mandana, it is an immensely popular design and is most often depicted in pairs, flanking a central flower on the gables of houses or on walls.
Mandana/Rajasthan Rajasthan mandana, "Preparing Diwali at Lakshmi's home" — part 2 Drawing mandana is described as subhkarya ( an auspicious activity) and emphasises the idea of centre, symmetry and multiplication.
Mandana/Rajasthan Mandana, floor paintings of Rajasthan — part 1 In particular, a black and white picture standing right behind an oil lamp draws my attention, as it captures the father of my host on his marriage day. He can be seen standing in his finest dress surrounded by women adorned with translucent embroidered veils.
