For some, tattoos can be a form of art, and for others, it can be a technique to look fashionable. Presently, we see people in the majority with tattoos engraved everywhere on their body, and if not, around then one must be there. And they mark it as a trend which they think has come up from the foreign land. But, being factual, the art of making tattoos has been in the roots of India for ages. Believe it not, but India is a place that has everything trending today, in its past. So, to make you aware of the actual history of tattoos, where and when did the tattoo start, here in this blog, we will talk about the origin of tattoos, traditional tattoos of India, and significantly, the history of Indian culture in the context of tattoos.
So, let’s get to the story of tattoos in India.
What is Tattoo?
A tattoo is a form of art where people get themselves engraved with ink on their bodies using a needle. Psychologically, there are various reasons for tattoos in Indian culture. Few reasons are fashion and trend; few get tattooed to save the memory or have proof of someone or something, also known as indigenous tattoos. Others call themselves inked under cultural influence. Tattoos can either be temporary or permanent but are painful most of the time. This was meaning and reasons to make tattoos. let’s find how and when were tattoos invented?
History of Tattoo in India
Various tribes are responsible for bringing the art of tattoos to India. During prehistoric times, tribal people were captivated by the drawing they saw on stone or wood walls. The curiosity of making different motifs on their body using a needle or sharp tools led to the discovery of the art of the tattoo in India. Few tribes have synced the practice of tattoo with their culture making it a popular ritual. Let’s go through these tribes and know-how and why they have started making the tattoos.
The Santhals
The Santhals tribe is mainly found in Bengal and Jharkhand, where men of the tribe get themselves tattooed with the coin-sized motifs they have named as “Sikka”. These are generally made on the forehead part of the body. Sikka is a Hindi word that also has the same meaning in the Santhals dialect. They have different Indian ink tattoos for each sex and body part and different ages. The tattoos they make are especially in odd numbers as according to the Santhal cosmology, odd numbers signify life and even number signify death. Women in Santhals have floral tattoos on their bodies, and the Chati Godai is a tattoo that gets inked on them when they attain puberty or when they get married. For needles, they use thorns, and for ink, they use cow bile, pig fat or colour from crushed grape seed.
Toda Tribe of South India
Toda tribe of South India is particularly from Tamil Nadu, and the most famous and long-lasting tattoo they make is Pachakutharathu. The artists known for making tattoos are called Korathi tattoo artists who went to the countryside in search of clients. According to the Toda tribe, these ancient tattoo is a source that saves them from the evil spirits until they meet with their ancestor’s energy in heaven. Kollam is the design that they consider is most graceful and helps in entangling the evil spirit. They draw the same geometric shapes which are outlined in the cross-stitch pattern.
The Dhanuks
Dhanuks tribe belongs to the region of Bihar as a low caste community known for making tattoos on women. Their motive for creating tattoos on women’s bodies is to protect them from the evil eye of upper-caste men. They firmly believe that making tattoos on the visible part of the women’s body will make them undesirable for a sexual purpose. In some communities, people use the ritual of purdah to hide them from the outsiders, but the Dhanuk tribe has been following this technique for a long time to save their daughters and wives. Also, it is an Indian traditional tattoo that marks them as an individual from the lower caste.
The AO Nagas
The AO Nagas tribe are from the Nagaland. They call it the art of tattooing Gondan. Gondan is a practice of face and hands tribal tattoos that the females of the tribe follow, and they even pass on to the next generation. Females in the tribe get tattooed at adolescence, and if they don’t, they are considered a shame, or they will not marry in the future. While tattooing, the girl has to be plied on the ground and if she yells, then a fowl (a bird) is forfeited close by to kill the evil spirit that is causing the pain. They use cane thorns and sticks to ink the body, and no men are allowed during the ritual as this is the rule of the tribe.
The Rabaris
The tribe from Gujarat is famous for making the tattoo known as Trajva, a traditional tattoo of the tribe. They have two reasons to create tattoos. One is that they consider the practice a sign of their strength as it is painful, more vulnerable to infection and unbearable. Another is that bare skin is regarded as horrid, so brides are especially tattooed before their wedding. Women tribal tattoos have the signs of scorpions and snakes on their face, throat, forearms, breast and neck, and men have the signs of camels on the back of their right palm. The ink is prepared with the bark of the local kino tree mixed with mother’s milk or, sometimes, urine.
These were a few names of tribal tattoos that were originated in India.
Evolution of tattoos
During the arrival of pop culture, these Indian markings creatively got shaped into western tattoos. Nothing is completely changed, but the old tattoos of India got transformed into trendy and cool looks.
And this had happened when Hindu tattoos got introduced with tattoos from the western land. The fusion which came out, as a result, has been adopted by half of the population. The thought must be cleared in your mind about when did tattoos start? It was nowhere from the abroad but was living in our history and some Indian traditional Tattoos are still practiced in different parts of the region.
This was everything you should know about the history of tattoos in India with meanings, origination and the reasons for their existence.
