Tales of Tattoos: Story behind Traditional Tattoos of India

Tattoos for some people can be art, while for others they can be a method of looking trendy. Nowadays, we can have a lot of people who have tattoos all over their bodies, and if there aren't any, then they is definitely there. Then they label it as an era that they believe originated from a exotic land. In reality the art of creating tattoos has been part of the beginnings of India for many years. It's true, India is a nation where everything is trendy now, even in the past. To educate you on the real history of tattoos, when and where began the tattooing process In this blog, we'll examine the origins of tattoos, the traditional tattoos from India and more significantly the background of Indian culture within terms of tattoos.So let's begin the history about tattoos and their history in India.

What is Tattoo?

A tattoo is a kind of art that sees tattoos of themselves with ink on their bodies with a needle. Psychologically speaking, there are many motives for tattoos within Indian culture. Some of the reasons are related to trendy and fashionable; a few are tattooed in order to preserve memories or provide proof of something or someone else which is also called native tattoos. Some people are tattooed with a cultural influence. Tattoos may be permanent or temporary, but they tend to be painful the majority often. The meaning behind and the reasons to get tattoos. Let's discover the reason why and when tattoos were created?

History of Tattoo in India

The various tribes responsible for tattoos being introduced to India. Early in the prehistoric period tribespeople were fascinated by the drawings they could see on the walls of wood or stone. The fascination of drawing diverse designs on their bodies using needles or sharp tool resulted in the the art of tattoos in India. Some tribes have integrated tattoos with their own culture, which has made it a very popular practice. Let's take a look at the tribes, their knowledge and the reason they begun to make tattoos.

The Santhals

The Santhals group is located mainly located in Bengal and Jharkhand in India, where the people of the tribe get themselves tattooed with coins-sized designs they refer to"Sikka" "Sikka". They are usually tattooed on the forehead of your body. Sikka is an Hindi word with the identical definition in Santhals dialect. They are able to make various Indian tattoos made of ink for each body part , as well as various age groups. Tattoos that they create are mainly odd numbers, as per the Santhal Cosmology Odd numbers represent the life of a person, and even numbers represent death. Santhal women have floral tattoos on their bodies in addition, the Chati Godai tattoo is one that is inked as they reach puberty or get married. For needles, they make use of thorns and for ink, they make use of cow fat, pig fat or colour made from crushed grape seeds.

Toda Tribe of South India

Toda tribe from South India is particularly from Tamil Nadu, and the most well-known and durable tattoo they create is called Pachakutharathu. The tattoo artists who are famous for their tattoos are known as Korathi tattoo artists who traveled to the country in seeking customers. Based on their beliefs, the Toda tribe, these old tattoos are believed to be a source which protects them from bad spirits, until the time they are reunited with the energy of their ancestors in heaven. Kollam is the pattern that they believe is the most elegant and aids in the entanglement of evil spirits. The same geometry is drawn in the patterns that are drawn by cross-stitch patterns.

The Dhanuks

Dhanuks tribe is located in this region in Bihar as a lower caste group known for tattoos of women. The reason they tattoo on female bodies is to shield their bodies from the gaze of men who are upper caste. They believe that putting images on the visible area of women's bodies will cause them to be unattractive for sexual purposes. In some communities, women make use of the purdah ceremony to conceal their tattoos from people outside, however they do not have to hide them. Dhanuk tribe has been using this practice for quite a while to keep their wives and daughters safe from being spotted. It is also an Indian tradition that identifies the person as belonging to that lower class.

The AO Nagas

It is believed that the AO Nagas tribe is of Nagaland. They refer to it as an art form of tattooing Gondan. Gondan is the practice of hands and face tribal tattoos that women of the tribe are accustomed to and transmit to the younger generation. Females of the tribe are tattooed when they reach adolescence. when they don't have them, it is considered to be as shameful, or won't marry later on. When tattooing, a girl is required to lie on the floor and if she yells, the fowl (a bird) is taken away near by to get rid of the spirit responsible for the suffering. They make use of cane thorns and sticks to tattoo the body. However, no men are permitted to participate in the ceremony as it is the norm for the tribal.

The Rabaris

The tribe of Gujarat is known for the tattoo, known as Trajva the traditional tattoo that is part of their tribe. There are two reasons why they make tattoos. They consider tattoos to be a mark of their strength, as it's sensitive, more prone to infection, and a lot more difficult to bear. Another reason is that skin that is exposed is considered to be disgusting therefore brides are favored to be tattooed prior to weddings. The tribal tattoos of women have indications of snakes and scorpions on their faces, necks forearms, breasts and neck, while men wear the marks of camels on their right hand. The ink is made using Kino's bark with milk of the mother, or often, urine.

These were just a few examples of tribal tattoos which were first discovered in India.

Tattoos evolve

With the advent of pop culture and pop culture, these Indian tattoos were creatively shaped in western designs. There is no complete change however, the traditional tattoos from India were transformed into fashionable and trendy styles.

This was the case as Hindu tattoos were introduced to tattoos from the west. The fusion that came out is the result. It is now being accepted by about half the people. It is important to clear the doubt from your mind when did tattoos first began? It wasn't from overseas world but was part of our past and some Indian traditional tattoos continue to be used in various parts of the region.

The following is everything you need to be aware of about the history behind tattoos in India along with their meanings, origins and the reason to exist.