Rangoli

The girls learnt Rangoli in school and had this colored powder to show off

so after much persuasion they decided to part with two extra colors

& thus began our day long excitment......

Stage 1: the basic design is laid out

and already filled with the two colors

much pleading later it was decided we travel to Lajpat Nagar and buy more bottled powder
& also replace the used colors!

Stage 2: more colors and dab dab with finger

pour color into the outline

and then dab delicately with finger

for the color to set evenly

the whole afternoon of chatter and getting scared of ants & other strange creepy crawlies, we managed a good art work -

it stayed for two days before being swept off,

traditionally the rangoli powder was rice dust, cleared out gradually throughout the day by ants.

In south India women decorate the outside floor with Kolam, a geometric entwining design made with rice powder.

The Tibetan lamas construct sand Mandala to represent the entire universe, these circular pattern are constructed pain stakingly over hours of team work extending into days.

These large(usually 3feet dia) and highly intricate patterns are made using sand crushed out of precious and semi-precious stones. The technique is to evenly spread the powder finely over the surface using thin pipes/straws

Once complete the ceremonial offering is made while chanting mantra , the beautiful pattern is swept into a glass jar and emptied into a nearby source of water.

"Symbolising the flowering of life in vibrant colors and eventual oneness with the universe..."

In 2006 the 30th "International Kaal Chakra for World Peace" ceremony was conducted in Guntur Andhra Pradesh, presided over by the Dalai Lama.