Pookalam is one of the most beautiful parts of Onam – a colourful flower carpet laid out at the doorstep to welcome King Mahabali home. You don’t need a garden full of flowers to try this yourself – coloured paper, petals, or even chalk work beautifully too!
What You’ll Need
- A large sheet of paper, cardboard, or open ground/pavement
- Coloured paper, real flower petals, or chalk
- Glue (if using paper or petals)
- A pencil, to sketch your circle first
Steps
Step 1: Draw your outline. Draw a big circle on your paper, cardboard, or the ground with chalk.
Step 2: Divide it into rings. Like a target, mark a few circles inside your big circle, creating rings from the center outward.
[Pookalam outline with rings image here]
Step 3: Choose your colours. Pick a different colour for each ring – bright reds, yellows, oranges, and greens work beautifully together, just like real Onam pookalams.
Step 4: Fill it in. If using paper, tear small pieces and glue them into each ring. If using real petals, gently place them ring by ring. Start from the outer ring and work your way to the center.
💡 If you could make a pookalam, which 3 colours of flowers would you choose first?
Want a printable template to colour first? Download the free pookalam colouring page here.
Did You Know?
- In Kerala, pookalams grow bigger and more elaborate each day of the ten-day Onam festival, reaching their grandest design on the final day.
- Some schools and communities hold pookalam competitions, with teams working together to create huge, intricate designs.
- The tradition is believed to welcome King Mahabali home with beauty and colour, exactly the kind of warm welcome he’d want after a whole year away.