Muggulu Magic: Why Telugu homes adorn rice rangolis during Sankranti

Hyderabad: Sankranti is a three-day Telugu harvest festival whose arrival is marked by colourful rangoli called ‘muggulu’ that adorn the streets in front of most houses.

Most girls in Telugu homes are taught the basic muggu format—three dots horizontal and three dots vertical— at a very young age. An advanced version has nine dots giving rise to nine boxes representing the ‘nine planets’ or grahas.

Significance of Sankranti rangoli

Since Sankranti is a festival of the sun’s transit into the Capricorn sign, the center dot is big and red. The sky is represented by spreading cow dung mixed in water on the ground. The white muggu dots are made with rice or limestone powder. They represent the stars in the sky. The thin lines joining the dots represent the movement of planets in the sky.

The movement of planets is represented by different combinations of dots. The custom of putting muggu daily is said to help people acclimatise to changes in weather and is a good early morning exercise. It also teaches patience and tolerance. The rice powder used for muggus becomes food for ants and the lime keeps away all other crawling insects.

Rangavalli Muggu is an important aspect of Sankranti festival. As a matter of fact, Sankranti is incomplete without the colourful and geometrical piece of art which adds to the festive flair especially in the Telugu States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The word rangoli is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Rangavalli’—a combination of two words ‘rang’, which means colour, and ‘avalli’, which means rows and lines.

Muggulu/Rangolis are thought to bring prosperity to homes. It is a sign of invitation, to welcome people, including Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity and wealth, into the homes.

How muggulu bring prosperity, health

The beauty of laying a muggu/rangoli in front of homes has many important aspects:

Hygiene

People clean the front of their homes first thing in the morning and draw muggulu. Some homes would wash and clean with water mixed with cow dung, and after it dries, they would lay out the design with rice flour.

Health

With hygiene comes health. A clean home keeps the household and its members healthy. The art of creating the traditional muggu on the ground is also a kind of exercise for the woman of the house as she has to bend and stand to create colourful designs.

Harmony

In Indian philosophy, there is a concept of living in harmony with creatures around you. There was a habit to feed the crows before eating. In olden days, muggulu were drawn with rice flour, so that the ants and birds need not walk too far or long for a meal.

Significance of Ratham Muggu

On Kanuma, people create Ratham Muggu designs in front of their homes. The ratham (chariot), a popular Sankranti-themed design, welcomes and honours the Gods and Goddesses. The Ratham Muggu often features the sun at its center, representing the Sun God, Surya.

The designs are believed to bring good luck, prosperity and positivity to the household. In the context of Ratham Muggu for Kanuma, the sun is a significant element as it is worshipped as a symbol of energy, light and life.

The significance of the sun in Ratham Muggu for Kanuma can be interpreted as:

Worship of Lord Surya: The sun is considered a sacred element in Hinduism and the Ratham Muggu design is a way to worship and pay respects to the Sun God.

Representation of energy and light: The sun is a source of energy and light and its inclusion in the Ratham Muggu design symbolises the illumination of one’s life and the removal of darkness.

Agricultural significance: Sankranti marks the beginning of the sun’s journey towards the northern hemisphere, which is considered auspicious for agriculture. The sun’s inclusion in the Ratham Muggu design may represent the importance of sunlight for crops and the fertility of the land.

Overall, the sun in Ratham Muggu for Kanuma is a symbol of spiritual, cultural and agricultural significance, reflecting the importance of the sun in Telugu culture and tradition.

People gearing up for Sankranti

Kasturi Nori, homemaker and a powerhouse of information about traditions, said, “Chalk makes it easy to draw muggus. The use of rice powder and limestone powder is an art. Learning it is an excellent lesson. The art of drawing muggu is not difficult to learn.”

Gayathri, a principal apps engineer at Oracle Principal, said, “As I understood from my elders, the idea of having rangolis in this month, has a science behind it. This being winter, our muscles get stiff and to have flexibility, we have this tradition. Creating rangolis requires one to bend and draw in a way that the spine bends and gets exercise in winter. This is supposed to be done before sunrise. One more benefit that I get as I draw them is a calm mind. It’s all about symmetry. I encourage my daughter as well; it is supposed to create a love for math among children.”

Hemalatha Gali, a technical lead by profession and a designer by passion, said, they use chalk and white rangoli powder for the designs.

Anu Prasad, a retired senior teacher, said, “I use chalk to draw the outline and then fill in with rice powder. This is eco-friendly and also acts as food for the ants. I also use paints for the exterior spaces. My old muggu outside my house has been scraped clean, so I’m going to make another one.”

Manognya Reddy, a retired employee from Oracle, said, “I switched to rice flour so ants, birds and squirrels can enjoy. Also, there is a bit of turmeric in it. Turmeric on door frames has always been used for its antiseptic qualities.”

Vijaya Naidu, a homemaker, said, “I create my Sankranti muggulu for 30 days at every sunrise. The process consists of using rice powder mixed with calcium and chalk powders. The three main days of the festival are Bhogi, Makara Sankranthi and Kanumu. Bhogi muggu invites colourful red for love and devotion, white for peace and purity and yellow for prosperity. Dotted Muggu is drawn to invite peace and purity. The second day has the most elaborate muggu and is filled with a unity of all colours coming together in geometrical patterns decorated with five Gauri Mata balls made of cow dung and decorated with kumkum, haldi, flowers, sugarcane and carrot pieces. Berries are put in the centre of the muggu. The muggu fills up the whole entrance inviting the Sun God to grace my home. The cow dung balls are in the shape of cones that represent Goddess Maa Gauri. On the third day, we draw a chariot muggu.”