Kolam Painting of Andhra Pradesh

The art of floor painting in Andhra Pradesh is known as Muggulu. Each day of the week has a selected design or symbol associated with it: shivpith for Monday, kalipith for Tuesday, swastika for Wednesday, lakshmi for Friday, and so on. The basic motifs include the lotus, the swastika, and conch shells and discs. The Shri figures are very prominent here; Shri is another name for Lakshmi, the Goddess of fortune, who is also the goddess of fertility. Shri also represents the centre of a mystic grill of geometric patterns. A simple one has two conch shells with vertical lines on either side. The lotus appears often, and is depicted differently each time. It appears as a triangular grille formation, as a magnificent figure in eight petals (ashtadal kamal), and as an elaboration of a conventional motif like the swastika. In all the designs, the moving lines make circuitous movements and finally return to the base.