Simple Kolam for Karthigai Deepam

Design facts

Dot grid

5 to 1 dots — tapering from 5 dots across the middle down to 1

Tradition

Kolam

Occasion

Karthigai Deepam

Motif

Diya

Difficulty

Easy

Video

3 min 26 s, uploaded 6 November 2024

Views

3,581 on YouTube as of 11 October 2026

Step by step: how to draw Simple Kolam for Karthigai Deepam

1. Mark the 5-to-1 dot grid.
2. Around the centre draw long twisted leaf loops that cross one another, forming a diamond frame with a crossing on each diagonal.
3. In the centre draw a four-petal flower inside a small diamond, and fill the space between it and the frame with curved parallel arcs.
4. At each of the four diagonal crossings add a fan of stamen lines tipped with dots.
5. At the top, bottom, left and right draw a diya — a rounded bowl with a teardrop flame pointing outward.
6. On the four diagonals outside the frame draw a paisley with a spiral curl inside and its pointed tip sweeping outward.

Related designs

• Easy Muggulu for Your Doorstep
• Rangavallikalu Muggulu 5 Dots Deepam Kolam
• Basic Diya Rangoli Designs With 5 to 1 Dots

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
• Motifs and Symbolism