நாலு மூலை · drawn on a 5 × 5 pulli grid
Naalu Mulai · Four corners
Dot grid
5 × 5 pulli
Difficulty
Beginner
Draw time
About 4 minutes
Best for
Everyday mornings and Aadi Fridays
The four-corners kolam is one of the first designs Chennai children learn at the threshold. Two nested diamonds anchor the grid, a petal loop opens at each point of the inner diamond, and the four corner dots are circled to close the composition. It draws quickly, reads clearly from the street, and suits any ordinary morning.
How to draw it
- 1
Place a 5 × 5 grid of dots, spaced about a finger-length apart.
- 2
Join the four outer midpoints into a large diamond around the whole grid.
- 3
Draw the inner diamond through the middle ring of dots.
- 4
Loop a petal outward at each point of the inner diamond.
- 5
Circle each of the four corner dots, then 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.