Brightening up the roadsides of some of my travels around southern India were a multitude of colourful, geometric patterns that appeared around the time of festivals such as New Year or Pongal, Tamil harvest festival.
These decorative, religious images are an ancient, Hindu tradition designed to invite the goddess Lakshmi to bring prosperity into the home and protect from evil spirits. Traditionally they were made of edible materials such as grains, rice, flour and vegetable dyes, as they would provide sustenance for insects, a charitable act for Hindus. These days chalk is often used, although some edible elements can be incorporated in order to maintain the tradition.
In the North of India they are known as Rangoli but throughout the country they are mostly done by women as a part of fulfilling their role in maintaining the household. As well as major festivals they can also be done for special occasions such as weddings. Many standard elements are combined, whether geometric designs or particular motifs, each with religious and cultural significance. Each artist can include their own creative input, but some will just produce standard designs or use stencils for part of the work.
Enjoy some more examples below.
wow, they’ve got a nice uplifting vibe to them. Bit of a step up from the graffiti and tagging back home
You could never accuse India of a lack of colour