How to get a rangoli made in Bengaluru

Got a quote already? For a 3 to 4 ft powder rangoli at a flat's door, a price well above ₹4,000 should come with something you can see: a design drawn for you, a helper, or a name with a following (question 2). Ask what's in it, or send it to us on WhatsApp and we'll tell you whether it's fair.

Send every artist the same size. A quote from a picture with no size is a guess. Measure your spot and ask for a price for that many feet.

Doing it yourself costs less: a stencil and powder for a doorstep come to about ₹800 to ₹2,000 online, a reusable 3 by 3 ft kolam board that needs no powder is ₹1,069, and floor stickers start at ₹115 a listing (question 3).

If a decorator is already doing your door for a housewarming or a pooja, a petal rangoli can be one more line in that job (question 8).

A named artist costs more again. One in Delhi NCR publishes a price calculator that comes to about ₹11,250 for 3 by 3 ft, before 5% GST and travel.

Before you pay, see her hand. Ask her for:

• Photos of her own past work, with the size in feet and how long it took. If a photo carries another business's name, ask whose work it is.
• A short video of her at work, if the photos look too good.
• Who comes on the day: her, or an assistant she sends.
• Whether the colours or flowers, the travel and the sweeping up are in the price.
• A sketch or photo of the design for your size, agreed before the day.

To find one, ask your building's WhatsApp group or search Instagram for rangoli and your area.

Try it once on newspaper the day before. A 20 inch stencil makes a round about 1.7 ft across, so for a 3 by 3 ft rangoli you fill the rest by hand or add a border stencil (₹60 to ₹220). A Delhi NCR artist says a small rangoli takes her one to two hours, so allow longer.

Ready-made, with nothing to sweep up:

• A 3 by 3 ft MDF kolam is ₹1,069 at Satyam Kraft, and you use it again next year.
• Satyam Kraft's marigold-look mats come in packs of six and three. Nine laid together make one about 3 by 3 ft, about ₹2,300 by our sum. Its page says they aren't washable.
• Small reusable acrylic or metal rangolis cost ₹80 to ₹599 a listing at DMS Retail and Rahul Rangoli, one piece or a set. A few round your diyas make a quick doorstep.
• DMS Retail's PVC floor stickers are ₹115 to ₹195 a listing, mostly 9 inch pieces, so check how many you get. Its page says to stick them on a smooth, clean, dry painted surface and never on a textured floor.

All online shops, read on 1 October 2026. Ask what delivery adds.

Everyone wants one in the same few days. One Delhi NCR artist who publishes her terms says festival dates fill quickly, and asks for a few weeks' notice for Diwali and 2 to 3 weeks for a big or custom piece. Decorators on mytribe who gave us a notice period for flower work ask for a day to a week.

• Before dawn, an auto costs half as much again from 10 pm to 5 am, so ask if the artist's price covers it.
• If nobody comes, keep a stencil and a kilo of powder at home (question 3).

If you aren't sure what your floor is, stay with detergent.

• On marble and limestone, lemon, vinegar and acid cleaners can dull or etch the surface, says the Natural Stone Institute, a US stone trade body.
• Granite is mostly silicates, which the institute says generally resist the acids in a kitchen, though it still advises against acid cleaners.
• Vinegar is for ceramic and porcelain tiles only, says Hindware, a tile maker.
• On vitrified tiles, the guides we read disagree on whether vinegar is safe, so stay with detergent.
• On grout, Hindware suggests a paste of baking soda and vinegar on the lines, then sealing the grout.
• Put lit diyas on plates round the rangoli, and keep them off it. Oil darkens stone, and the stone institute says an oil stain usually has to be dissolved out with a chemical.

Neither tested rangoli powder itself. Ask who sweeps it up, and when, before you pay.

In a quote for a flower rangoli, the flowers are inside the price. A 3 by 3 ft one takes about 3 to 6 kg of petals, ₹280 to ₹950 at this year's Bengaluru market prices by our sum, and a flower seller near you may charge more. If a quote lists the flowers as a separate line, ask what's in it.

Before a festival, rose and chrysanthemum have doubled in some years. For Diwali the reports we found disagree. Mahinava Events, a decorator on mytribe, says her own flower prices rise for about a week round each festival.

What the extra money buys. A team brings a design drawn for your lobby, shading that looks rich in photos, a crisp outline, and a finish before the 9 am pooja. Volunteers save the money and need one person with a steady hand to lead.

• For the bill, ask the treasurer or finance first. A GST invoice needs a supplier registered for GST, and a solo artist who takes in under ₹20 lakh a year generally doesn't have to register (section 22 of the CGST Act, 2017). A society may be fine with a receipt that has her name, the date and the amount.
• Among decorators, Party Choice's quote leaves GST out, and about 18% goes on top if you ask for a GST bill. Mahinava Events bills without GST by default, so ask her first if she can raise a GST invoice.
• The association runs the gate, so put her name on the visitor list the day before. For a rangoli in a common area, get the committee's OK in writing: in September 2024 a resident destroyed an apartment's Onam pookalam there, and it went to the police.
• For an office reception, Mahinava Events lays flower rangolis at shop openings. For a logo, send it with the space in feet, and ask for a sketch before the day.

Dream Decor's home and pooja set covers the main door, torans and a welcome board, with no rangoli in it. It was ₹12,000 to ₹15,000 in March 2025, plus about ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 for transport, so ask what it is now.

At a hall that allows only its own vendors, ask it in writing whether an outside artist can come, what time you get the floor, and when it's swept for the next function.