Indian Kolam Designs

Kolams are Indian designs similar to mandalas which are thought to ward off evil from a home. They are typically done with rice flour in various colors at the entrances homes, temples and marriage halls.

Traditional kolams are drawn as a single curve looped around a grid of dots.



Other forms of kolams are either done connecting the dots instead of looping around them, or simply drawn freehand with no dots at all.



While kolams are common to southern India, in northern India they are typically done without dots and are called Rangoli.



It is thought that if the evil spirits cannot penetrate the singular curve of a kolam, then likewise they will not be able to enter a home. Historically, kolams were also thought to bring harmony between men and animals since ants, birds and other creatures were often drawn to the kolams which they would subsequently eat.

The colors come from commercial dyes mixed with rice flour or sandstone powder. Others use simpler ingredients such as flower petals, coffee grounds, tea leaves and even turmeric from ones kitchen.

So how do you make a traditional square kolam? The keys are:

1. The dots on the grid must be evenly spaced.
2. The final design must have four-fold symmetry.
3. No empty unit cells – each dot is accounted for as part of the design.
4. The final design is seen as a single loop.

In order to figure out the pattern you can use a formula derived from Fibonacci numbers which is d^2=a^2+4(b+c). (a,b,c,d) represent a set of four numbers from the Fibonacci sequence. So for example, if I wanted to create an 8^2 square kolam I would make 8 the 4th number in my Fibonacci sequence. Counting backwards, we can see that the rest of the four numbers we would need would result in a set of (2,3,5,8).

So lets plug those into our formula. 8^2=2^2+4(3x5). That means that in our square of 8x8 dots the very center will consist of 4 dots (2^2) and then we will surround that center square with 4 rectangles measuring 3 dots by 5 dots each. It is the “4” element that helps you keep that final four fold symmetry. Voila! We have a total of 64 dots.

You encircle the different sections so you end up with 5 different loops. Then you connect those loops together at what is referred to as “splicing points." These splicing points are not actual dots on the grid, but imaginary points where you merge the 5 different loops you have made. (The different loops are noted by the different colors and the symbols note where the splicing points are.)


Merge everything together and you end up with a single loop kolam like this.


To see more about kolams, their relationship to Fibonacci Numbers and more, check out this website.

And to see even more beautiful kolam designs, see this website.