KOLAMS: Remarkable pieces of Art

KOLAMS: Remarkable pieces of Art shattered everywhere in India

KOLAMS OF PONDICHERRY - The Kolam practice as an ephimeral artform in public space

Dawn has broken in the city of Pondicherry. The first women open their doors and do as they do every day. A bowl of riceflour in their hand they gracefully strew a labyrinthlike ornament on their threshold. They call it kolam. Either simple, playful or most exquisite, they have been doing it for centuries and most still love to to do it. But as soon as the kolams are finished they disappear...



Please respect © Kaaren Beckhof 2006

Kolam (Tamil: ????? kõla?) is a form of sandpainting that is drawn using rice powder by female members of the family in front of their home. It is widely practised by Hindus in South India. A Kolam is a geometrical line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots.