25 Beautiful Pookalam designs for Onam celebration - Athapookalam

Pookalam: The Onam festival is celebrated with great fun and fervour in Kerala and by Malayalees across the globe. King Mahabali is Kerala's favourite king, and he was banished to neverland by the fifth incarnation of Vishnu (Vaman Avatar). It is believed that King Mahabali returns to Kerala every year to see whether his people are living happily, and people celebrate Onam to welcome him. Onam pookalam designs are created using flowers arranged in circles. In this post, we have included Onam pookalam photos and designs for your inspiration. Onam falls in the Chingam month of the Malayalam calendar, usually between August and September. Onam celebrations last for 10 days, with the first day known as Atham and the tenth day as Thiruonam. On Thiruonam, large sadhyas (feasts) are prepared in almost every home. Many years ago, Onam pookalam designs were created using ten different kinds of flowers, but nowadays, the practice is more flexible. A clay statue representing King Mahabali is placed in the centre of the pookalam. King Mahabali was a very good king, but his desire to capture Indra Loka (heaven) led to his downfall at the hands of Lord Vishnu.