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. The ancient symbols have been passed down through the ages, from each generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive. Similar practices are followed in different Indian states: in Tamil Nadu, there is 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 and others.

Mark Taylor may not have any training as a photographer, but that doesn’t stop him from taking amazing animal photos. From his studio in Southeast England, Taylor has made a big business out of photographing man’s best friends, following in the footsteps of his late mother, Jane Burton. Most of the animals he works with are babies, who are more comfortable in front of the camera than older animals.

Photo: Taylor often uses animals that belonged to friends of his late mother, including this Italian Spinone puppy chewing his tail. Baby animals make ideal subjects, as the older dogs and cats get, the warier they are of spending time in a studio. And his trick for getting this small subject to pose? Dog treats, of course. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Rex Features)

The sun shines on trees that are displaying their autumn colours surrounding Palladian bridge and the lakeside Pantheon at the National Trust's Stourhead on November 3, 2010 near Warminster, England. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

In this April 23, 2015 photo, friends Jia Haixia, left, and Jia Wenqi work to plant a tree in a field in Yeli village near Shijiazhuang city in northern China's Hebei province. For the past 13 years, Jia Wenqi, who has no arms, and Jia Haixia, who is blind, have worked together to plant and water more than 12,000 trees near their village. (Photo by Helene Franchineau/AP Photo)

A ten days old South American sea lion pup sits next to its mother Lunita at the “Tiergarten Schoenbrunn” Zoo in Vienna, Austria, July 28, 2015. The pup was born in the zoo and weighs about 14 kilograms (30 pounds). (Photo by Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

A model poses backstage ahead of the Romance Was Born show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2022 Resort '23 Collections at Ken Done Gallery, The Rocks on May 09, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Sir Argus, centre, with Brian Hayes up, jumps the first during the Guinness Beginners Steeplechase, alongside eventual winner Mars Harper, right, with Sam Ewing up, during day four of the Galway Races Summer Festival at Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway, Ireland on August 3, 2023. (Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile)

Vegas Golden Knights center Mattias Janmark (26) punches Nashville Predators center Nick Cousins (21) in a fight during the third period at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 24, 2022. (Photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports)