Top 25 Pongal Kolam Designs: Rangoli Designs To Try
The rangolis or Pongal Kolams that are made as a part of cleaning and decorating the house, traditionally depict the various aspects of the Pongal festival of Tamil Nadu, their beliefs and their rituals. But these days other Kolams are also made as people like infringing the traditional barriers and treading some not-so-dangerous waters in the art of kolam designing. People make colourful pongal kolam designs at the entrance of their houses, corners of offices, pongal kolam competitions, friendly bets on whose rangoli designs look the most colourful, etc. Kolam making is an art and very few are masters of it but here we are trying to help you with the design ideas through this rangoli images gallery.
Festivals in India are a lot more than just holidays and new attire and families coming together. Festivals are harbingers of the commencement of a new chapter of life; it is a rebirth- where we leave the failures and trials and tribulations of last year behind us and move forward into a new year with renewed a hope of success and well-being. Festivals usher joy and prosperity in to the lives of everyone.
One festival that is commonly celebrated across all cultures at around the same time of the year, but with different names is the ‘harvest festival’. Being an agricultural coumtry, the harvest festival is a common festival across all states of India. Bengalis call it Makr Sankranti, Punjabis call it Lohri, Gujratis call it Uttarayan and Tamils call it Pongal. Cleaning the house and making rangolis is a common ingredient in every house hold during festivals. In this post we will discuss about some unique pongal kolam designs that are made during Pongal celebrations.
Pongal is four-day long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. This harvest festival is a traditional occasion of expresssing gratitude to nature for celebrating the life cycles that give us morsels to fill our stomach. Tamilians believe that entamgling family problems will get untangled with the advent of the Tamil month of Thai that begins with Pongal. This is traditionally the month of weddings. This adds up from the fact that in an agricultural community, the riches gained from a good harvest form the economic basis and encourage such lavish and expensive family occasions like weddings. Below are 25 easy to do Kolam designs
that one can choose from for decorating their houses during next Pongal.
Image Gallery of 25 EasyPongal Kolam Designs:
1.
This Pongal Kolam depicts a ritual that is observed on the first day of Pongal. It is the Boghi festival and is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra and homage is paid to Him for the abundance of harvest. A ritual Boghi Mantalu is observed where useless household articles are thrown into fire made from wood and cow dung cakes. The significance of the bonfire is to burn the agricultural wastes and also to keep warm during the last lap of winter. In this kolam the framing has beautiful artwork as not much could be explored with the bonfire.
2.
This traditional kolam depicts a ritual observed on the second day of Pongal. Ceremonial worship is performed when rice is boiled in milk outdoors in an earthenware pot and is symbolically offered to the Sun God along with other oblations. A turmeric plant is tied around the pot in which the rice is boiled. The offerings include two canes of sugarcane in the background and coconut and bananas in the dish.
In this kolam almost the whole ritual of the second day is painted,replete with Sun God looking over us,the two cane sticks in the background and a couple offering prayers to the Sun God.
3.
This beautiful kolam has stuck to the traditional ones but also added an artistic touch to it. The rice boiling ritual is depicted with the sugar canes in the background and the whole thing has been been beautifully garlanded with colorful flower rangoli.
4.
Again in this traditional kolam we see the rice boiling ritual. Presence of sun is felt with the background of sun rays. The sugar canes and turmeric plants are also painted. The special effect is the fringe design of this kolam. The design glides between complex and simple beautifully. And the color contrast simply glues your eyes to it. Also observe the design in the earthen ware pot-not too clumsy,not too spaced out.
5.
Another description of rice boiling, with sugar canes and turmeric. But the wow factor in this kolam is the inclusion of peocock design. The embroidery of the peacock kolam is designed similar to a peacock’s feather and the color combination is also as bright and eye-catching as peacock’s feather.
6.
This pongal festival kolam gives a full description of the second day, complete with the coconut and banana offerings. Also painted in it is a bull, which is related to the third day of Pongal known a Mattu Pongal, the day of Pongal for cows and bulls. On this day multicolored beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corns and flower garlands are tied around the neck of the cattle and they are worshipped. They are fed with pongal and taken to the village centers where men race each other’s cattle. Arati is performed on them to ward off the evil eye.
Mythology has it that, once Lord Shiva asked his bull, Basava, to go to the earth and ask the mortals to have an oil massage and bath every day and to eat once a month. As was expected, Basava announced that everyone should eat daily and have an oil massage and bath once a month. This mistake enraged Shiva who then cursed Basava, banishing him to live on the earth forever where he would have to plough the fields and help people produce more food. From here comes the association of this day with cattle. Such a happy pongal kolam!
7.
Another colorful description of pongal in this kolam. This is simple but colorful and very symmetric. It is less of a hassle to make yet very attractive. Such a simple kolam design for pongal.
8.
This kolam design for beginners explains the second day and third day’s rituals of pongal in a nutshell. The pongal is described along with the sugar cane plants and turmeric plant. We also observe the sun in the center. And the Mattu Pongal ritual of providing cattle with the pongal is also introduced with the bull faces in the corners. The rangoli is very symmetric and has a lot of colors. A traditional kolam with depicted in a not-so-traditional way.
9.
A square patterned kolam depicting the various aspects of pongal. Added around it are small lotuses near the heads of the bulls.
10.
A beautiful kolam, where instead of drawing the earthen ware pot containing the pongal, actually a pile of pots containing pongal is placed in the center. And the design around the pot is so BEAUTIFUL! The color-contrast,symmetry,pattern- what’s not to love about this kolam. A traditional kolam with a modern twist.
11.
Here again instead of a painting of the pot, actual pot sugar cane sticks and turmeric plants are placed on a flower designed kolam. The kolam is simple but symmetric, and colorful. Can also be used a makar sankranti kolam design.
12.
This kolam lacks color, but the intricacy of the artwork is fascinating and makes up for everything. It speaks of the effort put behind it and also the deftness and patience of its maker. One word for this kolam-stunning! In a very literal sense.
13.
A pongal kolam with dots depicting a masterpiece. The intricacies of this kolam makes up for the lack of colors.
14.
A kolam having very minimal colors yet speaking bountiful of the artistic capabilities of its maker. The intricate artwork in the flowery pattern at the center is marvelous.
15.
A beautiful kolam with very minimal but just the right combination of colors. It speaks highly of the person behind this creation. Even the nitty-gritties inside the kolam have been done with equal deftness.
16.
This beautiful peacock kolam is just astounding to look at! Has just the right amount of bright colors and the design is so very beautiful.
17.
This kolam is very intricately made, color contrast is very soothing and beautiful and the artwork speaks for itself. The diyas interspersed in between add to the beauty.
18.
This kolam depicts a village’s Mattu Pongal ceremony-the village hut, village folks beating drums, pongal offered to the bull, pongal being made. It depicts the full festival of pongal in a very symmetric and colorful way. A kolam that has stuck to the tradition.
19.
A very colorful flowery vibrant kolam design for pongal. It is easy to make but still catches the eye. It would make the house look brighter and more beautiful if done on a white floor.
20.
A tremendously beautiful kolam made entirely with flower petals. The choice of the color of petals is also so impeccable. Bright and beautiful it is!
21.
Another kolam with flower petals. Though very beautiful in its design and choice of colors, this kolam’s beauty would have been magnified manifolds had it been done on a white floor.
22.
A peacock kolam, so beautifully made and the colors also aren’t too bright. It’s pleasing to the eyes. The detailed painting of the tail is worth appreciation. Make sure to use this as your next pongal kolam for competitions in schools and colleges.
23.
Another beautiful peacock kolam which is not left just at the peacock. The designs surrounding the peacock compliments the beauty of the peacock as does the peacock compliment the beauty of it surroundings. The colors used in the tail are so very stunning. One of the latest rangoli kolams for pongal.
24.
Not very easy to make, but would also be marveled at if made.
25.
A kolam to be made at the corners. A lot of colors have been chosen for this which does half the work in making the kolam beautiful and so it doesn’t need much complicated designs. The way the colors have glided among themselves is worth noting.
So now you can choose from this wide range of designs for you next Pongal Kolam and add a touch of your individual artistry to it and upload a picture in the internet, who knows in some other list your Kolam might feature. Make your Pongal as colorful and impeccably beautiful with these kolams.
Image sources: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, main
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Which is your favourite rangoli design? Share your reviews with us.
