| When people think of knot work design what | | | | and some that had floral shapes. I found out that |
| typically comes to mind are Celtic motifs from | | | | it is also common during festivals to depict Hindu |
| England and Scotland. Like most people I knew | | | | iconography, such as the conch, lotus or sacred |
| nothing of the knot work design coming out of | | | | Sanskrit letters. In Rajastan, which is in the |
| the Buddhist and Hindu cultures of India until I | | | | northwest part of India, the Rangoli images are |
| spent a month in the South Indian city of Chennai. | | | | painted on the handles of swords or knives |
| Walking in the early mornings, I'd find intricate | | | | carved into animals Rangoli can also be found on |
| knot work patterns drawn out free hand with | | | | coconut shell used as gifts during weddings. In |
| flour on the streets in front of homes. Initially, my | | | | many cases, since only a general outline is |
| question was, how did these designs, so common | | | | depicted which is not colored in, the images lean |
| in Celtic knot work, end up in India? | | | | toward the abstract. |
| These artistic scrolls were known as Rongoli, | | | | From an entirely different perspective, Rangoli |
| which is a combination of two words: "Ranga" | | | | designs can be seen as a form of mandalas. |
| means God and "Oli" meaning to be pleased. A | | | | Mandalas are a sacred, archetypal symbol |
| devout Hindu friend explained to me that the | | | | sometimes used as objects of contemplation in |
| designs were a daily offering, an artful expression | | | | esoteric meditation practice. The basic idea is that |
| of worship not only for the deities, but also for | | | | zig-zags, circles, triangle or any shape are believed |
| the birds that feast on the flour designs during | | | | to have a certain effect on consciousness. Among |
| the day. | | | | the most elaborate mandalas are drawn by |
| The tradition is truly ancient. Hindu epics thousands | | | | Tibetans, some of which have knot work motifs; |
| of years old describe cities where Rangoli were | | | | particularly, the endless knot which is a well known |
| drawn with camphor powder or multicolored | | | | Buddhist symbol representing eternality. Tibetans |
| stones. One myth tells how a woman's Rangoli | | | | spend days creating detailed mandalas in sand |
| picture of flowers was so realistic that it | | | | before ceremonially wiping the image out. |
| attracted bees. | | | | Though the act of creating these patterns in |
| The designs were also done with red earth and | | | | ritualistic and domestic settings are layered with |
| even depicted with milk carefully poured into a | | | | meanings rooted deeply in these cultures, it is |
| water vessel. The ability to draw these designs | | | | safe to say that Rangoli teaches about reverence |
| was considered so important that it brought | | | | and the transience in our human experience. The |
| status, particularly to a daughter-in-law seeking to | | | | beauty of the moment, the sunrise and the day, |
| impress her new mother-in-law. Even today, there | | | | comes and it goes. By the end of the day, the |
| can be a bit of playful competition between house | | | | Rangoli I would pass in the morning would be a |
| holds. | | | | faded shadow of its former glory. |
| The technique looks simple enough, but really | | | | As someone who is fascinated by the symbolic |
| requires a skill since it is done free hand. | | | | meaning of Celtic design, my visit to India helped |
| Sometimes I would come across people in the | | | | me to see how universal knot work design is. For |
| process of actually making the designs. Rangoli | | | | me, seeing the art drawn on the street was a |
| images start from a matrix of dots that are | | | | fascinating and delightful experience which enabled |
| placed in a particular configuration. These are then | | | | me to gain a deeper appreciation of a fascinating |
| connected by lines to create images. | | | | culture. |
| I saw knot work motifs that were geometrical, | | | | |