Padi kolam/Shaivite kolam

Kerala Kolam, " Contest in Thiruvananthapuram, the abode of Lord Anantha"

Every year at the Padmanabhaswami temple in Trivandrum in Kerala, a Tamil association organises a kolam contest to celebrate an ancestral art and preserve the padi kolam tradition.

Maavu kolam/wet rice flour

Maavu kolam or the wet rice flour kolam

The aesthetic of kolam is traditionally associated with dry rice flour laid in fine lines, or wet rice flour (maavu kolam) spread out in thicker, wavy strips. During festive seasons and auspicious days in a home, women favour the latter as it lasts longer.

Padi kolam/Shaivite kolam

Vaishnava kolam

The vaishnava kolam grace the doorsteps of Vaishnavite Iyengar Brahmins, while padi kolam, with their straight lines, reveal that a home belongs to a Shaivite Iyer Brahmin family.

Kolam riddles

Kolam and riddles

Dieter B. Kapp has compiled a list of metaphors relating to the kolam in the form of riddles, sayings and proverbs. Published in the form of a series of booklets, they explore all aspects of Tamil culture, and include a variety of images depicting these ephemeral drawings.

Inspiring kolam artists

Panguni kolam with Latha

During the Tamil month of Panguni (mid-March to mid-April), a nine day-long festival takes place at Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai. The celebrations start with the flag hoisting. The idols of Kapaleeshwarar and Karpagambal mounted on a vehicle are decorated with clothes and jewels.

Inspiring kolam artists

Inspiring women "Janaki Gopalan"

My immense pleasure as soon as I reach Chennai is to read "The Hindu" newspaper. One year, I came across a few lines mentioning the publication of a kolam book. Next day I went to CP Ramaswami Aiyer Foundation in Alwarpet, bought the book, and contacted right away, the artist Mrs Janaki Gopalan.

Inspiring kolam artists

Inspiring women "Subhadra Natarajan"

A lotus with eight petals in a circle welcomes two feet dedicated to Râma. Each petal bears a word from the mantra “Jaya, Jaya Râma, Sri Râma, Jaya Râma”. According to her, this kolam is equivalent to the invocation of the divine name.

Padi kolam/Shaivite kolam

Padi kolam or kolam with lines

A padi kolam, also called kalyana or kanya kolam is a kolam drawn using parallel lines which cross over at right angles or diagonally. They may start from a dot or a square and form basic structures such a square, a circle, a cross with diagonals, a swastika or two superimposed triangles.