ஆடி கோலம் · drawn on a 5 × 5 pulli grid
Aadi Kolam · Season special
Dot grid
5 × 5 pulli
Difficulty
Intermediate
Draw time
About 7 minutes
Best for
The Tamil month of Aadi (mid-July to mid-August)
Eight petals in two interlocking sets of four, held between the inner diamond and the outer ring. The Aadi month brings daily pujas to Amman temples across Chennai, and thresholds answer with fuller kolams like this one. Draw the straight set of petals first, then the diagonal set, and let them overlap the diamond edges.
How to draw it
- 1
Place a 5 × 5 grid of dots.
- 2
Draw one large circle enclosing the grid.
- 3
Draw the inner diamond through the middle ring of dots.
- 4
Loop petals at the top, bottom, left, and right.
- 5
Loop a second set of petals on the diagonals, overlapping the first set.
- 6
Finish with the centre bindu.
Tradition note: kolams are drawn at dawn on a washed threshold and swept away by evening. Rice flour is the traditional medium, so the drawing doubles as food for ants and small birds.