Muggu

Muggu is a decorative art where in dots placed symmetrically in a geometrical pattern are joined. It can be drawn on almost every surface starting from the floor of the front yard, interior floors and on to the walls. This tradition is prevailing in the entire length and breadth of India. But Muggu is known with different names in different regions of the Country.

Muggu, which is an expression to denote Joy and happiness is generally used for religious and festive occasions. At the outset, floor has to be given a treatment with a mixture made from cow dung and water. This has to be spread on the ground uniformly with a broom. And to draw the lines rice powder is used. A pinch of this powder is held between index finger and thumb. Then the hand with the powder has to be kept an inch above the ground and uniformly let the powder on the ground. It leaves a fine white line on the ground. Now this process is continued until all the dots are covered as stipulated.

After the basic lines are drawn around all the dots, the muggu drawer fills the Muggu with coloured powders. Muggu can be drawn with non- traditional materials like chalk powder and many synthetic materials..

Significance of Muggu

The period that is one month before Sankranti is known as Dhanurmasam. It's believed during this period God visits the earth. All are eager to receive the god. In this process every hose hold makes its threshold as beautiful as possible with Muggus of different shapes and sizes with a multitude of colors. Owing to this reason during Dhanurmasam every entrance of a household looks scintillating and attractive.

Muggu as known in different regions.

Muggu, the decorative art is present in one form or other in the entire length and breadth of the country. But the name of this art is different in different states.

Kerala

Muggu in Kerala is known as  Puvidal. Puvidal means arranging the floral patterns.

Bengal

It's customary in Bengal to draw muggu designs with a paste made of rice. This type of muggu is known as Alpana.

Taml Nadu.

In Tamil Nadu Muggu is known as Kolam.

Rajasthan

The art of Muggu is well known as Mandana.

Northern India

In Northern Indi Muggu goes by the name ChowkPurna.

Bengal

Rangoli is known as Alpana in West Bengal.

Bihar

Well known as Aripana in Bihar.

UttarPradesh

Chowk Pujan is the name with which Rangoli is famous in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Somethng about Muggu designs

Though these are known with different names in different places, the basics involved in the creation are same to all. What's true for Rangoli is true for kolam in Tamil Nadu,. So is the case with Muggu of Andhra Pradesh. One thing that binds all these forms have in common is,Rangoli's religious and Decorative aspects. All of them are symbols for happiness and aesthetics.

Muggu in Telugu culture

Muggu, a decorative art occupies a special place in Telugu bculture. A front yard of a Telugu house, where a Muggu in its bright hues looks like a welcomingn host of the house signifies  the overall happiness of that entire household. It has an equally vital significance when it comes to tradition and religious aspects of Telugu people of Andhra Prdesh. Talk of a festival or an auspicious occasion or a Pooja of the family deity, he first thing that flashes into the mind of the Grihini ,the house wife is to  embellish the entire premises of her sweet home with differet Muggus. Not only on the floor of the front yard of the house, even on thhe walls.

Generally the themes for Muggu, irrespective of the region are the designs using lines, dots squares and circles and reducing them to well known shapes like Swastika, Trident, Lotus and conch.

 The earlier practice of drawing Muggu on the floor in the Telugu community in the urban areas was quite small limited to just two square feet area. Now with the development of many mechanical devices to draw the Muggu, the areas  occupied by a traditional Muggu has grown. Some times women folk in a particular street or an area will plan to decorate the long stretches of the roads that run before their houses. Its a collective job. Where one family leaves the job of its share of Muggu, the other family takes the charge and continues the job till its share is completed. And this process goes on until the end of the street..

And one should see the result to believe. The whole road looks like a giant sized painting. For this, lot of prior planning is done, dividing the Muggu in to small bits and entrusting each bit to a different family. The cost of the decorative powders and other glitters required for their share of each family will be borne by that particular family.

This is well known as Muggu Marathon.

The Human Face Of Muggu.

Muggu is not just an array of eye catching designs. There is more to it than mere beauty. In the early days Coarse rice flour is used to draw Muggus by the women folk. So by drawing muggus people were indirectly helping the insects and birds my providing food to the ants and Birds. This is the main feature behind  Muggu. This is nothing but Man's  contribution to peaceful co-existence with the other living organisms.

Colours to spice up Muggu

The geometric patterns made by joining the dots through straight lines or graceful curves wouldn't be complete if the bright vivid colours aren not added. Many different colours are used to lend an aestthetc look to Muggu. The colours in its real form will not stick properly to the  design if some course material is not mixed wuth the colour. Course material like sand, saw dust, marble dust or brick dust are used so that the coarseness of the material will enable the colour to grip the ground. This makes the Muggu stay for long time in all its colourful beauty. The colours used to decorate are no different than colours used for Holi.