Kōlam

Once a year, Tamil women in India set about making ephemeral works of art on their patios and pavements. These so-called kōlam are intricate geometric designs, woven latticeworks of labyrinthine loops and floral fractals, all created by hand using rice flour. The ritual is a prayer-by-illustration that celebrates the goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi, and makes an offering to the earth goddess, Bhūdevi. The kōlam also acts as a metaphor for living in harmony with nature, since the rice flour serves as a food gift to insects and birds, thereby fulfilling the Hindu karmic obligation to ‘feed a thousand souls’.

— Wayne Visser

From Purpose Inspired: Reflections on Conscious Living, Volume 4. Buy on Lulu ↗