Diwali/Festival of light

Rajasthan mandana, "Adorning the floors and the home for Diwali" — part 6

In Rajasthan floor paintings, most patterns of animate beings come to life on the vertical surfaces of the house, except for the symbolic representations of the footprints of Goddess Lakshmi, called paglya, and the hoof prints of the cow which are drawn on the floor inside and outside the house.

Mandana/Rajasthan

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

Rajasthan mandana, "Jodhpur, the quest begins" — part 1

Holding a sword in both hands, the tip of the blade touches a metal plate placed on a floor painting made of several squares enhanced by a stylised flower in the center.