Kolam by Sudha Balaji

Maavilakku is a beautiful tradition followed in many parts of India.  It is offered for Lord Venkateswara ,  Goddess Amman .  There may be different methods of preparing and offering maavilakku ( we call it thambit or thambittu ), as usual I share the method I follow. Take raw rice in a bowl and mix water, soak for 30 to 45 minutes clean , drain the water Spread the rice on a clean dry cloth and allow it to dry in shade We need not dry it too much , some moisture is to retained Dry grind in a mixer into a fine powder. Sieve the rice flour well to get a finer powder or flour For one measure of rice flour add around three fourths measures of jaggery and mix thoroughly Since jaggery is some what deliquescent ( ability to give out water ) it mixes well with rice flour Add a little cardamom powder and ghee also. Some add grated coconut also. A little milk  around one tea spoon can be added to help mixing and binding of the ingredients Finally we get a semisolid shaped thambit

Aarti songs are important in the celebration of festivals and on Fridays.  After completion of Puja we offer Aarti to God or Goddess and it is customary to sing a song in praise of the God or Goddess for who we are performing the Puja. Varalakshmi Pooja songs in Telugu - aarti Mangala aarti song | Telugu Harathi song Jayamangala Nithya Subhamangala         ( Jaya is victory, mangala is auspicious, nithya is always ) Muthyala Aarti Pagadala Aarti                  ( We perform aarti with pearls, corals ) Manika Aarti                                             ( We perform aarti with rubies ) Mikutambuga meeku                                 ( You are very fond of these aarti ) Ananda kalamalu arisalu palalu                  ( On this joyous occasion we offer sweets ) Deepalu dhoopalu Nivendhichiri                ( Lamps, dhoop are offered ) Deepalu dhoopalu Nivendhikoni                 ( You take all these offferings ) Vishrantha mayane Lakshmi Devi  

Whether it is Gokulashtami , Vinayaka Chaturthi or Varalakshmi Nombu ( Vratha ) there is a tradition of placing the idols in a mandap and decorating the mandapam ( as we say in Tamil ) .  We can have a blend of traditional and new and unique ideas too for decorating the mantap.   First the modern methods of decoration.  I have made a Hridaya kamalam or Lakshmi Hrudaya rangoli and a rangoli border using OHP sheet , glass colours, 3D glitter and decorative trinkets.  These two can be placed before the mantap for decoration. A close up of the Pooja in progress We can use OHP to decorate the top of the mandapam also.  I have an old mandapam made from rose that is being used in our family for various festivals.  Old is gold , as they say , so we are using this mantap for Krishna Jayanthi, Pillaiyar Chaturthi and Varalakshmi Nombu. I use a combination of kaavi or geru and lime stone giving alternate white and kaavi colours to the mantap , this probably because of the influence

For Navaratri and Friday Pooja more emphasis is given to kuthu vilakku .  The decoration of the vilakku varies from family to family.  I share how it is being done in our family for the past many decades. On Thursday, the kuthu vilakku is cleaned and washed thoroughly ( along with other lamps ). It is tradition to place the kuthu vilakku on a plate so that excess oil if any is collected in it and the Pooja mandapam is not affected by oil. Sandal wood paste is mixed with rose water and applied on the five faces of the kuthu vilakku and also on the top.    Then turmeric powder and kumkum are applied over the sandal wood paste. Five wicks are placed on the five faces and then oil is filled.  Some have the tradition of filling oil and then placing the wicks.  What I follow is better because oil may stick to our fingers when we place the wicks after filling the oil.  The wicks are then dipped in the oil so that it easier for the oil to rise through the wick to th

Padi  kolam with Vel and Mayil for Karthigai Deepam | Sashti viratham | Kanda Sasti vratham The theme is using the Vel  ( a divine spear held by Lord Murugan ) and Mayil ( Peacock , vahana of Lord Shanmuga ) in a padi kolam.  The pics below show the steps.  It can be drawn for Sasti or Tuesday too . Rangoli related to Karthigai Deepam Karthigai Deepam rangoli kolam designs after completion A simple vilakku kolam for Karthigai Deepam festival ( கார்த்திகை தீபம் பண்டிகை  ) Here the side view is shown.  Place the dots ( from the top it is 1,2,3,4,5,6 )  .  Draw the vilakku designs and fill with yellow and orange colour - simple deepada rangoli is ready 9 pulli sikku kolam for Karthigai Deepam  The dot pattern is 9 by 9  Beautiful vilakku designs in sikku kolam One more beautiful and big padi kolam with vilakku designs ( deepalu muggulu )  A pure white kolam with only the lamp designs filled with yellow and orange colours Light lamps such that the beauty of the