நெல் கோலம் · drawn on a 5 × 5 pulli grid
Nel Kolam · Harvest diamonds
Dot grid
5 × 5 pulli
Difficulty
Beginner
Draw time
About 5 minutes
Best for
Pongal and harvest celebrations
Three nested diamonds step outward like stacked measures of paddy, with the corner dots ringed to hold the composition. Nel kolam is drawn in thanksgiving, most of all around Pongal, when the fresh harvest reaches the kitchen. The even spacing between the diamonds is the whole craft: keep the gaps equal and the design sings.
How to draw it
- 1
Place a 5 × 5 grid of dots.
- 2
Draw the largest diamond through the outer midpoints.
- 3
Draw a second diamond a little inside the first, keeping the gap even.
- 4
Draw the third diamond through the middle ring of dots.
- 5
Circle 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.