Rangoli, also known as Kolam or Muggu, is a folk art from India in which patterns are created on the floor in living rooms or courtyards using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals. It is usually made during Diwali, Onam, Pongal and other Indian festivals. They are meant to be sacred welcoming areas for the Hindu deities generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive. Similar practices are followed in different states of India: Rangoli in Karnataka, Kolam in Tamil Nadu, Mandana in Rajasthan, Chaookpurna in Chhattisgarh, Alpana in West Bengal, Aripana in Bihar, Chowk pujan in Uttar Pradesh, Muggu in Andhra Pradesh, Golam kolam or kalam in Kerala and others except in North eastern states.