Rangoli borders - doorways kolam

A video which shows some borders including those in this post I've posted here is available in my Channel Rangolisansdots. 

 All are free hand designs, with repetitive or symmetrical patterns as borders usually are.

I understand that traditional alpona designs are drawn with rice flour paste and are drawn plain and white. 

Some of the plain rangoli borders drawn here are similar to alpona designs drawn at the entrance or threshold,  may be they can also be used as alpona designs

Rangoli borders for entrance for daily rangoli to Diwali rangoli designs

This post is for petite kolam that are drawn on the threshold or vaasal padi as we call them

Simple flower kolam border

Flower designs that too with colours are awesome in rangolis

Birds border for rangoli

This is a sample of birds can be drawn as border.  I have shown three birds and the side view.  

Colourful border rangoli designs for Diwali 

This border rangoli design with diya and leaf patterns I added for Diwali 2015.  The border can be drawn in two directions as shown.  In one the diya patterns appear to hang from a support and in the other the appear to be placed on the ground.

More kolam border ideas 

Rangoli border decoration for Diwali 2016  - theme diyas

Two borders for rangoli I tried for Diwali 2016 with the theme diyas.  One in which the diyas are represented through rangoli and other with the greetings Happy Diwali in the rangoli decorated with actual diyas.

Diwali greetings ideas through rangoli

Some simple kolam borders / border kolam / rangoli border / side rangoli designs / muggulu borders  /  border muggulu for Sankranti or Pongal

The first pair of rangoli borders above are designed liked jewels!.  The first one has two simple rangoli borders with petals in between.  Colours are added and white dots placed to get the final design.  

The second one has a floral pattern with a simple border below.  Both can be used around  a bigger rangoli and the second design at the base of a rangoli as we do occasionally.

Without chukki rangoli border designs collection

Two pairs of muggulu borders have been drawn above.  As written in an earlier post these borders can be drawn on doorways, around a bigger rangoli or at the base of a bigger design. 

 The first border above is suitable for the base of rangoli because of the design.  The central pattern consists of a semicircle, a petal and    some simple free hand designs thought of spontaneously.  It is decorated with white dots and lines.  On either side creeper like designs have been drawn in white.  The second design is a floral design with four petals with leaves, in green colour on either side.

 A very simple pattern that can be used to cover a free hand or rangoli with dots.  The third design below has a repetitive pattern of what I would call a floral design. (Though it looks like a foot drawn for some festivals, in that case there are only four digits). 

 The border is suitable for decorating a bigger rangoli. .  The fourth one looks like a floral and jewel combination with designs on either side for symmetry.  Can be drawn around a rangoli or at the base.

Free hand border rangoli designs for Diwali

                                              

Another pair of cute and simple rangoli borders has been added.  The first design can be drawn free hand or with dots - a series of repetitive floral petals.  The second border design drawn free hand some what resembles a paisley design.  Add colours to the borders makes them look beautiful.  This pair of rangoli borders can be used to decorate saree borders and borders of other dresses.

Paisley border rangoli designs for Diwali

                                    

 Borders at the bottom of a rangoli or around it are part of decorating a rangoli design.  While borders can be drawn with dots or free hand . Rangoli-sans-dots should have some borders without dots. 

 Hence a border relevant to this post a jewel (necklace ) like border with a paisley design at the bottom.  These borders are actually inspired by necklace designs that are used in jewellery in India.  

  Festoons ( or toran or thoranam in Tamil ) are an important part of festival celebration in India.  So it is natural to have some rangoli borders or designs that depict festoons as they are used in India.

 The mango leaves as they are strung and hung at the entrance above the doorway is shown through the design below drawn with rangoli powder. 

 Mango designs have also been added for this post since it is a rangoli.  Hence the possibilities are infinite for paisley designs. I think these border designs could also be suitable for decorating borders of sarees and chudidars !

Deepavali doorway decoration with lamps

Lamps or deepam can be used for decorating the entrance after drawing a simple deepam border at the entrance or threshold of our homes. In this image I have used some battery operated artificial lamps. Of course these ideas can be used for Karthigai Deepam too.

Rangoli or kolam borders with dot grid and sikku kolam patterns are also quite common. One such sikku kolam border shown with steps. 

This can be drawn as a continuous border and we see such type of designs on the walls of temples.  The dot grid is as shown. Place  a series of dots , then above and below draw a pair of dots with intervals of one dot.  Two steps are shown for this design.  Sikku kolam borders are beautiful though simple.

Unlike the regular rangoli borders, we can also have borders exclusively for decorating the floor for festivals like Diwali. 

 I have tried a very simple border for this theme.  Spray two or three colours ( I have used a tea filter instead of using the fingers as I  usually do. It is some what more difficult sprinkling colours by fingers when compared to spraying them with a tea filter.  However when we use a tea filter we can get a finer and more uniform layer, easily )

 I have used three colours - yellow, blue and pink and used a simple motif that I have used many times.  One of the images shows the border at the beginning and the other after completion

                                 Jewellery patterns as rangoli borders      

                               

                                                  

The rangoli border above to be drawn around the periphery of a rangoli.  It has a simple free hand design with a floral (lotus) design at the bottom.  Actually it looks like a jewel.  The plain border design below actually has four different types of designs

.  All can be used as a part of a rangoli or along the border of a bigger rangoli.  The third design below also looks like a necklace, it is suitable to used around a rangoli as a design to enhance the effect.These rangoli borders are for this festival  season. 

 For the the first one we need some time to fill up the colours.   Almost all borders have been drawn with colours filled however plain  rangoli borders can also be drawn.

The next border design, on the left, is a simple design filled with a few colours with white lines added inside.  It can be used on the base of a bigger rangoli or as a part of a design drawn on the periphery of a larger rangoli.  

  Borders are petite rangolis that can be drawn independently or along the periphery of a larger rangoli.

 This kolam  border, can be drawn on either side of a bigger rangoli, a series of floral petal patterns in different colours, surrounded by a suitable double line border, filled with a colour rangoli .  

The picture shows plain kolam borders with  flower and petal border suitable for a floral rangoli design.  The second border is simple free hand type with some simple patterns.  The third border kolam  is a leaf pattern or thoranam type that can be drawn for auspicious occasions. 

I have left them all white and plain. We can add colours to make them more beautiful.

The one at the bottom is a freehand rangoli with some colourful lines drawn in between.  The one above has diyas filled with colours (purple) and also decorated with diyas at the periphery.    I hope the purple pink combination is  good.

                                     

  Some  kolam with a border for Pongal or Sankranti muggulu

Now through some images as examples we can see how borders can be useful not only for decorating the vasalpadi but also a kolam.  By drawing a border around a kolam the kolam becomes even more attractive.

The  kolam below has many layers of borders.  The first border in green and white around the orange paisley designs and then another paisley border above and around the smaller paisley designs.  Finally one side of the outer paisleys decorated as shown.

                                             

                    

      Rangoli-sans-dots is primarily for rangolis without dots.  I have uploaded very few rangolis with dots.  I intend to post some more. Also there is a type of rangoli called arisi maavu kolam  (in Tamil).  I have to draw a few. I wrote earlier  that I have other hobbies to write about.However, I will stick to rangolis without dots, occasionally posting rangolis with dots. 

 On second thoughts,  I should post some navaratri aarthi plates designs.  If not now then when? Aarti plates are a really important aspect of celebration of festivals like Navratri, plate art decoration is for festivals like Karva Chauth ( I understand ).

 So I will have to give importance to these simple and beautiful decorations that form part of the celebrations of festivals.  That will be some time later.