Occasional Kolam Designs

Design facts

Dot grid

8 to 2 dots — tapering from 8 dots across the middle down to 2

Tradition

Kolam

Video

4 min 54 s, uploaded 3 October 2019

Views

1.9 million on YouTube as of 1 October 2026

Step by step: how to draw Occasional Kolam Designs

1. Mark the 11-to-11 square dot grid.
2. In the centre draw a star of diamond petals radiating from a single point in eight directions.
3. Round the star into a cross of four lobes — one above, below, left and right — and place a spiral curl inside each lobe.
4. On the four diagonals around the cross draw a small rounded bud with two leaves pointing toward the centre.
5. Run a wavy line through the dots around the centre to enclose the inner pattern.
6. At the middle of each side draw a lily-like flower — pointed petals with fine stamen lines fanning from the base.
7. On each of the four corners draw a lily flower opening outward on the diagonal.

Related designs

• Draw This Rangoli for New
• Chinna Muggulu Designs With Dots
• New Year Rangoli Designs with Dots 2026

Further reading

• Venkatraman Gopalan & Brian K. VanLeeuwen, “A topological approach to creating any pulli kolam, an artform from South India”, Forma 30, 35–41 (2015). doi:10.5047/forma.2015.005

Read more

• The Kolam Style Families
• Tamil Nadu