Monday 27 October 2008

Deepavali Kolam



Happy Deepavali Day to all Hindus around the world! May you have a splendid celebration with family and friends.

I am glad to post the recent photos of Deepavali from One Utama Mall in Petaling Jaya. A
huge colourful peacock with a vibrant colour kolam (rice-grain drawing) greeted fellow shoppers. Many are attracted to this colourful kolam, that form part of the tails of the peacock.


Some information about kolam derived from Tamil Electronic Library © K. Kalyanasundaram :

"Kolam" refers to decorative artwork drawn on the floor in front of deities in puja rooms or in front of houses in South India. It is believed that kolam bestow prosperity to homes. Kolam-drawing is a distinctive cultural tradition of Tamils of South India. As there were many South Indians who migrated to Malaysia in the early 20th century, the tradition of drawing kolam is still widely practised here.

Most often finely grinded rice flour is used to make these drawings. Colours are created by adding coloured powders to the rice. It is a time old cultural tradition of South Indian families going back to many many generations. Young girls learn how to draw kolam patterns from their mothers or grandmothers. The patterns are often passed on from generation to generation. Kolams are also drawn on weddings.

More information of Kolam can be found from Wikipedia.

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