We humans are fascinated with body decoration right since the beginning of life on earth. It is believed that early human cave dwellers braided seashells into their hair and wore bone necklaces. This art kept on improving with time and later Stone Age civilizations painted their hair and bodies with plant and mineral dyes. This colouring of bodies suggested group membership or rank which they belonged to. Gradually, symbolic body painting or colouring became a magical part of hunting rituals, religious festivals, and ceremonies.


Origin, history and tradition of henna

The practice of henna body decoration dates back to Islam. Henna is thought to have first come into use in Egypt for coloring fingertips and finger nails, palms of hands, and soles of feet. One of the earliest documented uses of henna is found in the archeological evidence of Egyptian tombs in the valley of Nile. Mummies of Egyptian rulers and their families were prepared to enter the next world with henna-tinted fingernails. Hieroglyphics names henna as pouquer.

In Middle East, the leaves of the henna plant have been used for centuries as a beautification of the hands and feet. This has been done particularly as religious ritual or during some ceremony. In India, the women utilize it to beautify themselves before big occasions such as wedding and holidays. The traditional patterns mimic a lacy look, like gloves on the hands and arms, and very intricate and ravishing.

Mehndi Tradition in India

Henna's first roots in India are in question. During the reign of Augustus, Emperor of Rome (27 B.C.-A.D. 14), Egypt became an important trade centre for commerce between Rome and India. There are ancient murals in the Ajanta- Ellora caves near Mumabi (old Bombay) dated before A.D. 350 that, remarkably, show a princess of Patliputra reclining under a tree, half asleep, having her hands and feet painted with flowery henna designs. Historians mention that henna may have been brought to India along with Persian horses around A.D 712. What is known is that henna has been cultivated in Rajasthan since around 1476.

Ethnic Significance of Mehandi

The use of mehandi or henna became a significant part of Indian folk art soon after the advent of the Muslims. The orange-red mehandi color was often painted on new brides. The women were painted with intricate designs on order to distinguish them from unmarried young virgins, who were in danger of being kidnapped by the Muslims. From that time onward, it is said that mehandi flourished as decorative art in India. Hindus consider mehandi as very dear to Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and fortune. If ever there was a plant associated with luck and prosperity, it is henna bush.

Botanical Profile

• Botanical name: Lawsonia inermis
• Botanical Family: N.O. Lythraceae

Common names: Henna, Henne, Mehandi, Mendee, Al-Khanna, Al- henna, khidab, Jamaica Mignonette, Egyptian Privet, Smooth Lawsonia, Reseda Henna is a shrub, 8-15 feet high, with small white, yellow, pink or cream-colored sweet smelling flowers. It produces blue-black berries. It thrives in hot, dry climates. Powdered (young) leaves of the plant have been in use from the most ancient times in Middle- Eastern and South Asian countries for dyeing the hair and the nails. The dyeing process is a chemical property of a brown tannin-like resinoid fracture substance that is called hennotannic acid.