Only one day is left for the beginning of Diwali celebrations. The phase of cleaning the houses is now over, but the decoration continues. Strings of colorful flowers, big garlands and garlands of Ashoka and mango leaves… the process will not stop here, the markets have given many options for decoration in the form of plastic flowers and people are also using them in the decoration of their homes.
The market has changed the meaning of decoration
Looking at the market, it is clear that there has been a lot of change in the traditional methods of decoration. Decorations made with banana leaves, flax bark garlands, madar flower buds and grain earrings are now a thing of the past. Dussehra-Diwali The temple has also been decorated with white flowers of Kasa and long grasses of Kusha, but now you will not find their presence in the traditional decoration.
Rangoli is a traditional way of decoration
But… still one method of decoration remains in the tradition. That is Rangoli. In the decoration of Indian festivals, the purpose of decorating the walls is only for beauty, but the decoration of the floor is related to the method of worship. In this decoration, along with the connection with nature, the presence of community symbols and even celestial planets and constellations is visible, hence the ancient tradition of Rangoli, the presence of flowers, leaves, peacocks, swans and sun and moon is special.
Rangoli has evolved into a beautiful traditional art through worship and rituals. In India, women have been making it at the main door of their house, at the place of worship and during festivals. These designs can range from simple to very complex. Making them started with a very simple method, in which rice flour, wheat flour, turmeric etc. were the main ones. There were changes in this with time, and now they are also made from colored powders and lime-chalk etc.
The logic behind making Rangoli with rice flour was that through it a person could follow the rituals of Yama-Niyam. The ants and birds used to eat the rice flour and rice grains scattered in the design of Rangoli.
Where did the word Rangoli come from, its complete history
The word ‘Rangoli’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Rangavali’, which means ‘line of colours’. Avali means row in Sanskrit. This is like ‘Deepawali’ of Diwali, which is ‘row of lamps’. In this way, the festival of lights gets easily connected with Rangoli.
It is also mentioned in detail in Kama Sutra.
In Indian books, art like Rangoli is mentioned in detail in Kama Sutra. The authentic period of Kama Sutra is considered to be the third century. In Kama Sutra, beauty and decoration have also been described as a means of keeping the mind happy. Art like Rangoli is also a part of it. Rishi Vatsyayana writes that a room illuminated with scented lamps, fragrant with scented smoke and a cleanly decorated room, whose walls and floor are interesting to look at, is suitable for entertainment.
In Shilpa Shastra, Rangoli is said to be a part of Vaastu art.
The sixth century book Narada Shilpa Shastra also mentions the colors made on the ground for wedding decorations. Dhuli Chitra and ‘Bhaum Chitra’ are mentioned in many literatures of the tenth century. Decorative figures carved on the floors of many ancient temples are visible. It is possible that during some festival or temple function, these figures would have been filled with rice flour and turmeric and a beautiful artwork would have taken shape on the ground.
Tradition of surrounding the Yajnavedi with Rangoli
There is no direct mention of Rangoli in the Vedas, but there is a provision for surrounding the Yajnavedi with beautiful linear artworks. Where the sacrificial area was surrounded by a quadrilateral line of paddy fields. Along with this, making Swastika is also a form of Rangoli.
When Devarshi Narad got freedom from curse through Rangoli
There is a story in Narad Purana that Devarsha Narad made a mistake. To atone for that mistake, he was cursed to take birth alternately among 84 lakh sexes. Narada Muni started searching for a way to avoid this curse. Then Narada Muni went to the three main gods, but all three were not able to remove his sin. Then Lord Vishnu suggested him to take refuge in his Guru. Narad Muni faced the problem of whom to make as his Guru? Then Vishnuji said- Tomorrow morning, consider the first person you meet on the sea shore as your Guru.
When Naradji reached the ocean shore, a fisherman had come to cast his net. Devarshi caught hold of his feet and started demanding liberation from 84 lakh species. At first the fisherman was reluctant and started thinking of getting out of this dilemma, but when Narada Muni insisted a lot, the fisherman drew 84 lines with pebbles on the sea shore and asked him to cross them. Narada Muni crossed those lines by rolling and thus he became free from the curse.
These 84 lines drawn in a circle on the ground were also considered a symbol of life and thus for the first time an impossible idea was realized in a figure drawn on the ground. This was rangoli.
Rangoli is the idea of connecting the body system with the universe.
Rangoli is not just a design made on the ground. This is the imagination through which the body system is imagined to be connected to the cosmic system. Kundalini awakening, body chakras etc. everything is like the shapes of Rangoli.
Rangolis are of gods, animals, flowers (lotus), footprints of Goddess Lakshmi, Swastika or Om. Sometimes these are just lines, dots and geometric shapes which can range from simple to curved. These can also be of symmetry and pattern like mathematics. Rangoli is not just lines, but a symbol of culture, religion and time. Although it keeps changing, the tradition remains.
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