Table of Contents
Featuring what is mugglu, materials used to make muggulu, importance of muggulu and 30 simple muggulu designs.
What is Muggulu?
Rangoli, also known as Kolam or Muggulu, is a folk art from India in which patterns are created on the floor in living rooms or courtyards using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand, or flower petals.
Kolams/Muggulu are believed to bring wealth to households. At the homes of millions of people across Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, every day in the early morning, before the dawn breaks, women draw muggulu in front of their home entrance. Traditionally, muggulu are drawn onto the smooth surface of the ground using the white flour of rice.
A small clean cloth is used to create these Muggulu. This cloth is soaked into the wet rice flour, and with the smooth and continuous use of thumb and forefingers, these evenly drawn rangoli Kolam designs are created.
With wet rice flour, Telangana and Tamil Nadu women make these beautiful Kolam designs on their doorsteps every morning. These Kolams are left to take their natural course throughout the day, as they get walked over by the house members and visitors and at times blown away by wind or washed away by rain. The next morning before sunrise, the Muggulu designs from the previous day are cleaned by wiping them out with water, and new rangoli Kolams are created.
Ratham Muggulu
The most popular designs that are drawn for Sankranthi are the Ratham Muggulu. The designs are drawn in the form of lines and are in the form of a chariot (ratham). In certain homes, the size of the ratham or muggu chariot covers the entire front yard during both the 1st and 2nd Sankranthi days (Bhogi and Sankranti).
Rangoli Kolam Designs / Muggulu Designs – Materials Used
Even though rangoli Kolam patterns are traditionally created using Rice flour (‘ kolapodi’ in the local language), women can also apply dyes and dilute rice paste to make the designs to keep them for longer.
Recently, people are also applying chalk or vinyl to create designs for rangoli kolam. For celebrations and special occasions, women also use red brick powder or limestone to accentuate Muggulu designs. You can also use natural and synthetic coloring powders to create an easy Kolam design.
Importance of Muggulu Designs
The simple and beautiful geometric designs are available in various types and styles. The Muggulu/Rangolis have been believed to bring wealth to people’s homes. The simple and beautiful geometric designs are available in different types and styles. The simple and beautiful geometric designs are available in multiple types and styles. The Muggulu/Rangolis have been believed to bring wealth to people’s homes. It is a sign of invitation to welcome people, including Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity and wealth, into our homes.
The beauty of having Muggu/Rangoli before our homes have numerous important aspects.
Hygiene
You wash the front of your house early in the morning and then put on the Muggulu. In the past, people would wash and scrub the exterior of the home with water mixed with cow dung, and then after drying, they would put out the design using rice flour.
Health
Hygiene is the key to health. When your house is spotless, your household and its members are healthy. The art of placing the traditional Muggulu is an additional type of exercise for ladies of the home, as she must bend and stand.
Creativity
Drawing different types of Muggulu/Rangolis can increase your creativity. The more patterns and designs you have illustrates how imaginative one can be when creating these Muggulu. In fact, for every Sankranti, there are competitions for women who can draw and color the most creative design for which prizes are given- an event which ladies keen on drawing Muggulu/Rangolis look forward to.
Astronomy
There is a strong relationship between dots in Muggulu with the constellations that appear in the sky. The dots that are known as Chukkalu in Telugu refer to stars. The intricate joining of patterns is significant to the stars in the sky, and the patterns in it are taken as designs for muggulu.
Fosters Harmony
In Indian philosophy, there is a notion that you should live in harmony with all the creatures surrounding you. There was a custom to feed the crows in the morning before we eat, or feed the elephants and cows when you visit the temple, etc. It is believed that when we perform good karma for animals around us every day, they will bless us. In the past, Muggulu were drawn with rice flour so that ants and birds did not need to travel over long distances or walk for long periods to eat.
The Science Behind Patterns
This unique art also has a scientific basis. When a person looks at a geometric pattern, it manifests into vibrations inside the observer’s mind that, in turn, calms the mind. This is precisely what Muggulu or Rangoli do to the mind of one, i.e., it creates a calming effect.
30+ Simple Muggulu Designs
Simple Muggulu Designs (1-5)
Simple Muggulu Designs (6-10)
Simple Muggulu Designs (11-15)
Simple Muggulu Designs (16-20)
Simple Muggulu Designs (21-25)
Simple Muggulu Designs (26-30)
