Onam Kolam

ഓണം ആശംസകളോടെ Today Onam is celebrated in Kerala with great enthusiasm. The story behind celebrating the festival is given below to the kolam. It is a custom to draw kolam with flowers/petals on this day to welcome the mythological King Baali. The rangolis are either made in round shape with flowers packed densely with vibrant and contrast colours or a portrait type rangolis are made. But today customarily its a round shape rangoli. Its a visual trea to view the flower spread on the entrances. I didn't have time to buy flowers and create a flower carpet, but managed to create a sikku kolam with lotus flowers around. Flower is the theme of the festival, so my version of Onam Rangoli. Today I did a kolam in hurry to finish off before my little returned from school. A small simple sikku kolam with 11 dots. This is my own design. I desisted from drawing Paisleys in this kolam.. When I was looking through the images of my previous kolams, I found many kolams adorned with Paisleys. An easy kolam to draw, it has 5 individual sikku strands. I just glance and start to draw these sorts of kolams

According to the Hindu Mythology “Lord Vishnu” incarnated as a human being to defeat the Demon King Baali, who conquered earth and demigods world. King Bali was a great ruler, during his reign, the people in his kingdom were happy and prosperous and he was loved by his subjects. He performed severe penance to Lord Vishnu and in turn he was granted with a boon. The boon was he wanted the same power of “Indra”,a demigod, where defeat shouldn’t be pronounced to King Bali in the battlefield. By this boon, he conquered all worlds, this made Indra jealous and he bewailed to his mother about Bali’s achievement. All to the above Indra, he detested the good name bagged by the King Bali and the love he earned from his subjects. Indra’s mother, Aditi took the pain of her child and promised to wipe her son’s fret. So she performed penance to invoke Lord Vishnu and he appeared before her, asked her wish. She wanted her son Indra to defeat Bali and get his kingdom back. As Lord Vishnu had given Bali the boon, but he didn’t change his verdict but assured Aditi that her wish will be granted. Lord Vishnu incarnated as a small dark short boy named Vaamanaa, born to Aditi and her husband Kashyap. The boy grew intellectually.on the day he visited King Bali, he was about to perform his 100th Yaaga to attain supremacy. The King was pleased to see this little boy and granted to wish anything he wanted. The boy asked for 3 steps of his kingdom. King Bali who had a generous heart who never sent anyone empty handed granted his the little boy’s wish. The little boy, grew and grew bigger till he reached above to all worlds. The first step on earth and next on the sky, and he had no other space to step on, Now King Bali offered his head to rest the Lord’s feet. After his defeat King Bali was sent to Nederlands and Indra had his kingdom back. King Bali was given a wish that he can visit his kingdom once in a year to see his people, its on Onam. He is welcomed by his people with flower rangolis made on the streets as a flower carpet to their King.

This is the story behind the festival of “Onam”