Muggu/Kolam and Rangoli mean the same, the former two are the terms used in south india.
Rangoli, also known as Kolam or Muggu, is a folk art (drawing) from India in which patterns are created on the floor in courtyards and inside houses using materials such as colored rice, dry rice flour, Turmeric, Kumkuma, flower petals, chalk, chalk powder (slaked lime), white rock powder often using naturally or synthetically colored powders. Originally the materials used were only natural ingredients.
Recent researches have proved that Cow dung has the power to kill bacteria which are harmful for humans. Cow Dung is considered good for health. It is very rich in minerals and a has anti-bacterial properties. It prevents people from various diseases and health issues.
Small insects like scorpions, centipedes etc don’t come near to the places which are coated with the paste of Cow dung. Cow Dung acts as a natural mosquito repellent. Mosquitoes stay away from such places. The floor which is coated with cow Dung remains warm in winters and cold in summers. Though the process of using cow dung is tedious and dirty, the older generation people new the real richness of using it. As it is true people consider it as one of the real rural riches.
Rangoli, also known as Kolam or Muggu, is a folk art (drawing) from India in which patterns are created on the floor in courtyards and inside houses using materials such as colored rice, dry rice flour, Turmeric, Kumkuma, flower petals, chalk, chalk powder (slaked lime), white rock powder often using naturally or synthetically colored powders. Originally the materials used were only natural ingredients.
I shall use the term muggu because that is what I call it. The procedure of muggu decoration starts very early in the morning. Ladies would clean their courtyard with water and then apply cow dung on the mud floors to make/prepare a firm base upon which muggu would be made. then the natural materials as mentioned aboved would be used to make beautiful, artistic designs on the prepared floor. muggu could be made using chalk on the similarly prepared interior walls of the house.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangoli
During the very early days, before the invention of the modern building technologies, people used to live in houses made of mud. The evolution of Rangoli started from that time. People used stones , mud, twigs,bamboo shoots and other natural raw materials to build their homes and the finishing of the walls and floor was done with cow dung paste. Once the finshing is done and dried up it emanates a pleasant smell, that is very soothing.
Recent researches have proved that Cow dung has the power to kill bacteria which are harmful for humans. Cow Dung is considered good for health. It is very rich in minerals and a has anti-bacterial properties. It prevents people from various diseases and health issues.
Small insects like scorpions, centipedes etc don’t come near to the places which are coated with the paste of Cow dung. Cow Dung acts as a natural mosquito repellent. Mosquitoes stay away from such places. The floor which is coated with cow Dung remains warm in winters and cold in summers. Though the process of using cow dung is tedious and dirty, the older generation people new the real richness of using it. As it is true people consider it as one of the real rural riches.
Even in many parts of the developing world, and in the past in mountain regions of Europe, caked and dried cow dung is used as fuel. it was the form of fuel in the olden days.
A rondavel is a westernised version of the African-style. The rondavel is usually round or oval in shape and is traditionally made with materials that can be locally found in raw form. Its walls are often constructed from stones. The mortar may consist of sand, soil, or combinations of these, mixed with cow dung. The floor of a "traditional" rondavel is finished with a dung mixture to make it hard and smooth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondavel.
Muggu was and is still a means of decoration, be it in the courtyard or as a means of interior designing of the house in the traditional way. when used in the courtyard materials such as rice, plain (white) or coloured with turmeric(yellow) and kumkum(red), Turmeric, kumkum, dried rice flour would be used and the procedure would be repeated every day. These materials in addition to the esthetic purpose also served as a means of feed to the birds and insects that would feed on them and leave the premises without entering the homes. Cowdung would prevent these from entering the houses. Within the houses, chalk would be used for preparation of the muggu. Kumkum (turmeic+slaked lime) and Turmeric have significant antibacterial properties. The older generation were aware of this and would decorate their doorsteps with these two materials, serving the dual function of esthetics as well as keeping their homes safe from insect and worms.
Traditions had always developed with a deep rooted undrstanding of their utility and importance to man and his existence. However with development and modern trend setting they have lost importance. Some People of today follow them without knowing their significance and some others might just discard and dismay them calling as baseless. The older traditions and habbits in any part of the world have always been eco-friendly in contrast to the chemically influenced world of Today.
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