Symmetry Classification and Enumeration of Square-Tile Sikku Kolams

Abstract

Pulli Kolam is an ancient mathematical artform that is still practiced today in south India by over a quarter million people. "Pulli" in the Tamil language means dots. A specific type of pulli kolam is "sikku" kolam where a series of dots are placed using rice flour and lines are drawn around them with three simple rules: all dots are individually encircled, line crossings are discrete points, and there are no loose ends in the lines drawn. A topological approach to viewing a kolam was presented earlier [arXiv:1503.02130] where a kolam could be broken up into pieces (tiles) of a puzzle and then assembled together following the above rules. Here we focus on sikku kolams assembled from square tiles. Kolams are classified by their point group symmetry, and formulae are derived for counting the number of kolams in each symmetry type. Some interesting constraint problems are posed that could help formulate new games based on this elegant artform.