Rangoli is a traditional Indian art.The original name of rangoli is Rangavali, which means- ranga=color, avali=line in Sanskrit.

Origin of Rangoli
There are a number of legends associated with the origin of the Rangoli art in India. The earliest mention in regard to this art form is found in Chitralakshana, the earliest Indian treatise on painting. It is said that the death of a high priest's son in a particular kingdom led to widespread despair. The people of that particular kingdom prayed to Lord Brahma, asking Him to bring the boy back to life. Moved by their prayers, Lord Brahma asked the king to paint a portrait of the boy on the floor. Thereafter, He breathed life into the portrait and the boy became alive again. It is believed that this was how the first Rangoli painting got made.

Another legend has it that one day, God, in one of His artistic spells, extracted juice from one of the mango trees to be used as paint. He then used the paint to draw the figure of a beautiful woman. It is said that the painting of the woman was so magnificent that it put the heavenly maidens to shame. Thereafter, Rangoli became a popular form of women self-portrait.Even Chola rulers have been known to make quite extensive use of Rangoli as floor paintings. It is also said that powder or sand is used for making Rangoli designs because the combination of the colors and the design fragility signifies the impermanence of life and maya.