How to draw it, step by step

Sweep the floor and wipe it with a damp cloth so the powder grips. Mark the centre with chalk. Then follow the pictures. Each one adds one part.

Make a small filled circle in yellow. This is the centre of the whole design, so place it carefully.
Draw twelve triangles in orange pointing outward like rays.
Draw twelve triangles in red pointing outward like rays, between the first set.
Place twelve white dots in a ring, one in each gap. Drop a pinch of powder and press lightly for each dot.
Draw a thin yellow circle around the design. A string held at the centre, with chalk at the other end, keeps it round.

Tip: Draw the twelve long rays like the hours of a clock. The short red rays then sit between the hours.

Where it works best

Put it where the morning sun actually falls, in the open courtyard, on the terrace or by the gate, since it is a greeting to the sun. It is quick, so it suits the days around Sankranti and Pongal when a new design is drawn each morning.

What usually goes wrong, and the fix

Rays that lean make the sun look as if it is spinning. Draw a faint chalk line from the centre through each mark and build the ray on that line. Keep the long rays the same length by letting their tips touch a chalk circle. More fixes are on rangoli problems and fixes.

Make it your own

Change the colours to what you have at home. Any two strong colours and white are enough.
Make it smaller for a puja thali or a table, or repeat it three times in a row along a wall.
Print the outline and let children colour it first. It is good practice before the powder comes out.

New to rangoli? Read how to make rangoli and colours and materials first.

Sunburst rangoli

Colours you need

How to draw it, step by step

Where it works best

What usually goes wrong, and the fix

Make it your own

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