As a child, one of my best memories that I have is of Saraswati Puja. Every year during the month of January or February, this puja was performed at our home and the whole household was transformed with various decorations and I loved to see the joyous mood in everyone.
The most remarkable and interesting thing that I still remember is the alpana that we used to make to decorate the floors, the doorsteps and the prayer altar. These beautiful floor paintings are known as alpana in West Bengal is the word is derived from the Sanskrit word Alimpan meaning colorful designs. Commonly known as Rangoli in other parts of India, these simple aplana designs form an integral part of rituals of Bengal.
Alpana designs for Saraswati Puja represents the artistic sensibility of the people of Bengal and it is usually practiced by women who create traditional designs on the floor using rice paste. It is an ancient practice that is used to decorate the floors, the wooden seats and other household items with rice paste or crushed color.
The basic forms are more or less same and depict the various moods of the season. This art was practiced in ancient times because people believed that the decorative paintings kept their homes and village safe from evil and brought prosperity in life.
The making of Alpana: Simple alpana designs for Vasant Panchami are created by ladies at home during any celebration. The artistic medium that is used to create the patterns is rice that is non-parboiled. The rice is soaked in water to become soft and then it is ground to form a smooth paste. A cotton cloth or a cotton ball is dipped in the rice paste and held between the thumb and the index finger to create beautiful patterns that are usually spontaneous. But today, different materials like vermilion, flower petals, colored chalk, grains or sawdust are also used to create them.
Alpana painting: Women usually clean the space where the pattern is to be created. Earlier women used to clean the ground with red soil and cow dung. Bengalis make alpana around the idol and even on the outer site of the entrance gate.
The designs have a magical power and presence and are used as welcoming signs for the guest. Simple alpana designs for Saraswati puja are made that comprise the sun, rice stem, swan, ladder, swastika together with some floral patterns to make it appear more beautiful.
Circular or square patterns are used as a holy pedestal during festivals like Vasant Panchami or Lakshmi puja. Nowadays, the influence of the Santiniketan style of art is also seen and the paintings reflect the grace and elegance of Bengali culture. The symbols used to create simple alpana designs represented the prayers that are painted from the heart.
The most remarkable and interesting thing that I still remember is the alpana that we used to make to decorate the floors, the doorsteps and the prayer altar. These beautiful floor paintings are known as alpana in West Bengal is the word is derived from the Sanskrit word Alimpan meaning colorful designs. Commonly known as Rangoli in other parts of India, these simple aplana designs form an integral part of rituals of Bengal.
Alpana designs for Saraswati Puja represents the artistic sensibility of the people of Bengal and it is usually practiced by women who create traditional designs on the floor using rice paste. It is an ancient practice that is used to decorate the floors, the wooden seats and other household items with rice paste or crushed color.
The basic forms are more or less same and depict the various moods of the season. This art was practiced in ancient times because people believed that the decorative paintings kept their homes and village safe from evil and brought prosperity in life.
The making of Alpana: Simple alpana designs for Vasant Panchami are created by ladies at home during any celebration. The artistic medium that is used to create the patterns is rice that is non-parboiled. The rice is soaked in water to become soft and then it is ground to form a smooth paste. A cotton cloth or a cotton ball is dipped in the rice paste and held between the thumb and the index finger to create beautiful patterns that are usually spontaneous. But today, different materials like vermilion, flower petals, colored chalk, grains or sawdust are also used to create them.
Alpana painting: Women usually clean the space where the pattern is to be created. Earlier women used to clean the ground with red soil and cow dung. Bengalis make alpana around the idol and even on the outer site of the entrance gate.
The designs have a magical power and presence and are used as welcoming signs for the guest. Simple alpana designs for Saraswati puja are made that comprise the sun, rice stem, swan, ladder, swastika together with some floral patterns to make it appear more beautiful.
Circular or square patterns are used as a holy pedestal during festivals like Vasant Panchami or Lakshmi puja. Nowadays, the influence of the Santiniketan style of art is also seen and the paintings reflect the grace and elegance of Bengali culture. The symbols used to create simple alpana designs represented the prayers that are painted from the heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment