Mandana-Wall and Threshold Art

Several folk traditions of floor decoration are valued not only for their visual richness and complexity but also for their symbolic role in inviting good fortune and protecting against negative influences. One such tradition is Mandana, practised primarily in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Characteristically executed in red and white, Mandana involves the creation of detailed floral and geometric patterns on the thresholds and courtyards of homes. The term Mandana is derived from mandan, meaning adornment or embellishment. Women of the household create these designs during religious rituals, festivals, and other auspicious occasions, where they are regarded as markers of divine presence.

The motifs used in Mandana are traditionally informed by the visual language of the Vastu Purana, the layout of yagna altars, and the ground plans of temples, reflecting a close relationship between domestic ritual art, sacred geometry, and architectural tradition.

Mythology

Mandana is an ancient art form, with scholars identifying parallels in seals and amulets from the Indus Valley civilisation as well as in rock and cave paintings. The practice is also associated with early ritual and magical traditions, in which altars were constructed using materials such as grains, flour, turmeric, vermilion, flowers, and leaves.

References to Mandana and narratives concerning its origins appear repeatedly in Indian mythological traditions, indicating its long-standing cultural and symbolic significance.

According to a popular myth, Shiva once challenged Parvati to transform their courtyard so that it would gleam with brilliance, warning that if she failed, he would withdraw to the Himalayas for four months. He further promised that if she succeeded, her creative act would gain universal recognition and be remembered in her name. After careful thought, Parvati prepared a mixture of mud and dung and spread it evenly across the courtyard, smoothing over all the cracks and uneven surfaces. When Shiva returned, he found the courtyard clean and gleaming, yet felt it lacked splendour. Displeased, he stormed away, prompting Parvati to follow him and implore him to stop.

As she hurried after him, her feet left impressions on the still-damp surface, and the courtyard suddenly appeared radiant, as if filled with blossoming flowers. Struck by this transformation, Shiva was both amazed and delighted. He blessed Parvati and proclaimed that henceforth Mandanas would adorn and enhance any home where they were created, and that he himself would dwell there, bestowing prosperity upon its inhabitants.

From that time onward, Mandanas came to be drawn in red pigment on freshly plastered surfaces of mud and dung, serving both to beautify the household and to invoke auspicious presence.

Another interpretation of the term Mandana associates it with the idea of “creation.” According to a mythological narrative, Brahma, while engaged in the act of creating the world, drew the figure of a woman on the ground using mango juice. This image came to life as a celestial nymph named Urvashi, and the story is understood to symbolise the life-giving and generative power attributed to this artistic tradition.

The act of creating Mandanas is known as likhana, a term that literally means “to write.” The process begins with plastering the courtyard or threshold with a mixture of mud and dung. Over this freshly prepared surface, a base layer of kharia (white chalk) mixed with water is spread evenly. Geometric or floral designs are then rendered using geru (red ochre) powder or kumkum (vermillion). In some cases, rice flour, wheat flour, and, more recently, coloured powders are also employed in the making of Mandanas.

In Madhya Pradesh, Mandanas are traditionally outlined using geru (red ochre) and subsequently elaborated with white motifs, whereas in Rajasthan the initial drawing is executed in white and later filled with red ochre. This process of filling and elaboration is known as bharat in Madhya Pradesh and bharan in Rajasthan.

A simple Mandana is drawn using the thumb along with the first joint of the index and ring fingers. More elaborate compositions, depending on their complexity, are created with basic tools such as cotton swabs, pieces of cloth dipped in pigment, or even tufts of hair for finer detailing. In certain regions, twigs from neem or date trees are also used as drawing implements.

The Mandana typically begins with a single dot placed at the centre of the courtyard, which develops into a foundational or root design. This core form is gradually expanded through the addition of carefully positioned dots and lines that intersect, extend, and cross over one another, forming criss-cross patterns and evolving into geometric shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, quadrilaterals, hexagons, and octagons, each carrying specific symbolic meanings. The intervening spaces are then filled with subsidiary motifs, including flowers, creepers, leaves, dots, and lines, collectively referred to as bharat or bharan.

Classification

Mandanas may be broadly categorised into geometric and floral compositions, and further distinguished according to their foundational layouts or dominant motifs. These include chowk Mandanas, which are expansive designs drawn in courtyards; paglya motifs, representing the footprints of deities or saints and signifying auspiciousness; swastika forms, symbolising the four protective arms of Vishnu; and del, which refers to ornamental Mandanas created at thresholds. Dot-based compositions are known as tapkike Mandanas, while their smaller variants are referred to as chote motte Mandanas. Square-format designs are described as gadi takiya ki jod. In addition to these formal types, specialised Mandanas invoking the blessings of particular deities are executed during major festivals such as Diwali, Holi, and Makar Sankranti.

Mandanas are drawn to adorn domestic spaces on a range of auspicious occasions, including birth and marriage rituals, in addition to festivals and other religious ceremonies. A distinctive mat-shaped Mandana created by the bride during marriage rituals is known as the Bahupasara Mandana.

Mandanas created during Diwali and the religious observances associated with this period are regarded as especially auspicious. Designs featuring six-pointed stars or six-petalled lotus forms—understood as the chariot of Goddess Lakshmi—are commonly drawn alongside diyas or earthen lamps. These compositions are believed to invite the goddess into the household, where she is thought to rest and bestow prosperity and blessings.

Holi is another important occasion for the making of Mandanas. Among the most widely used motifs during this festival are the chang and dhap, musical instruments traditionally played during Holi celebrations. Mandanas drawn for the festival of Makar Sankranti are specifically known as Sankranti ka Koonda. In addition to these, frequently recurring motifs include local birds, torans, floral designs, musical instruments, lamps, and other indigenous forms drawn from the surrounding cultural environment.

From ancient times to the present, Mandana has served as a means of skillfully transforming everyday domestic spaces into richly ornamented surfaces, reaffirming its enduring aesthetic and cultural significance.