Lalitpur, September 14
The sound of needles buzzed in every stall with artists busy inking the bodies of their clients drawing the fusion of Gods with elements of modernisation. The "Himalayan Tattoo Summit 0.1" is the place where traditional values meet with modern designs.
The tattoo summit, supported by the National Academy of Fine Arts and Nepal Handicraft Association, features over four dozen artists who are busy inking images of gods with modern concepts. The summit began on Friday.
The designs include those of Ganesh, Living Goddess Kumari, Buddha, Hanuman and other comical as well as religious characters fusing them with modern concepts.
"I present tattoos linking neo-traditional and traditional in a modern way. Most of the enthusiasts prefer to have the same designs which I have made and some come up with their ideas and designs. Earlier, people didn't have much knowledge about the designs but now people do their research and then come to get inked, it indeed is something that makes me happy," one of the tattoo artists, Sujit Rai with the artist named Jitsu Rai told ANI.
Tattoo culture in Nepal is one of the oldest traditions practised widely by Newa, Tharu, Gurung and Magar, the aboriginals of the Himalayan nation. As per the younger generation, traditional tattoos lacked precise details, linking them more to the communities, and spiritual beliefs but modern tattoo designs focus more on aesthetics.
Being driven by aesthetic values, younger generations are now making the fusion of traditional beliefs with modern designs to ink on various parts of their body. In the Kathmandu Valley, tattoos in the foregone days were mostly done during the Jatras (festivals) and Melas (carnivals) like Rato Machindra Jatra and Indra Jatra. Kathmandu's Tebahal and Bhaktapur's Thimi were famous for tattoo art which is called "Lha: Chyogu" in the Nepali Bhasha or the Newa: language.
'Lha' in Newa: means 'flesh' and 'chyogu' means 'writing'; the tattoo on the legs of Newari women symbolizes their strength.
There is a belief that a person takes nothing but the tattoos on their body after death. And on the way to heaven, if one finds hardships, they can sell the tattoos and therefore make a way to heaven more comfortably.
Back then, coal and milk were mixed with plants to produce colours for the ink for designing the tattoos. Now, inks are widely used poured into a machine and then run over the sketched areas of the body.
"We are associated with the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts and Nepal Handicraft Association of Nepal as well. Normally, there are timely tattoo conventions in Nepal as well but we are associated with the government as well. That's why this is something different and we try to show our Nepali culture as well in tattooing. We would like to have people from other countries or tattoo artists coming to Nepal and learn our tradition of tattooing as well," Brijesh Shrestha, a member of the organising committee told ANI.
In Nepal, the trend of cultural tattooing has evolved and taken different forms. Nowadays getting a tattoo is a way for a person express themselves through art, words or symbols. Nepal is now known as one of the best and affordable destinations for getting inked.
Many Nepalese artists have been internationally renowned for their artistic work and creativity.