Kolam
A line pattern drawn on the ground with rice flour at the entrance of homes in South India.
A kolam is drawn fresh each morning, usually by the women of the house, on a swept and dampened doorstep. The drawer lets rice flour run between finger and thumb in a continuous line, often looping round a grid of dots. It is a Tamil tradition with close relatives in neighbouring states. Flowers come into it in the month of Margazhi, in December and January, when a yellow pumpkin flower is traditionally set at the centre of the design.