Tracing the Inspiration

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-By Nimisha Singh

Sometime it’s fun to visit cultural exhibitions and to know how beautiful and colorful our culture is.

Well, as i was trying to pen down stories about ‘The Tattooing’ something that has drown my interest i.e, Ajrakh printing from Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The elegant and intricate designs were extra ordinary but not only the design but the professionalism and knowledge artisans hold was commendable.

While i was taking to one of the artisans about the design and pattern, he made me aware about some interesting facts about its motifs. Motifs found in Ajrakh came from the 17th century reign of the Mughal Empire. It was inspired by Islamic architecture and also from the jail work and in some we could observe floral and animal prints. Ajrakh prints can be identified by their elaborate geometrical patterns also.

But the inspiration is not solely for Ajrakh printing, we could also trace its influence on Arabic Tattoos which again is inspired by Islamic architecture and jail works and with some floral prints.

The motifs may change with time but the essence remains the same.

The Arabic Tattooing, which is a wide-spread practice, is known as daqq or dagg, from a root meaning to strike or knock.

The Arabic tattooing is divided into two kinds, broadly speaking: ornamental or decorative tattooing, and tattooing applied for magic. Probably most tattooing has an ultimate magic-religious purpose, whatever may be its course of evolution.

The look of Ajrakh prints and Arabic tattoos are very similar.

Here, are some images showing how the base of Ajrakh prints and Arabic decorative tattoos over lap.