Did you know about this sacred red liquid?
This article is all about an eco-friendly and sustainable make-up cum beauty technique which stands one of the important pillars of Indian women glory box.
Less known to many, more known to few, the history of using Alta dates back to Lord Krishna’s time and its reference can be found in Upanishads too. Its name is derived from Sanskrit word Lakshaya Rasa, which means Lac. This is because Alta was originally prepared from Lac and Betel leaves, but nowadays it is synthetically manufactured. It is traditionally worn by Hindu women during festivals & marriage as the red colour of it signifies prosperity, purity and fertility. Indian Goddess like Durga, Lakshmi can be seen wearing it and also Indian classical dance like Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Mohiniyattam and Manipuri which depicts mythological stories has carried Atla as a make-up essential. Apart from having a religious connection, it holds scientific properties too. It has a cooling effect on the body and also prevents bacterial infection on cracked heels. The other positive side of it are: its easy to apply, it dries up very fast (within 2 mins or so), it fades away slowly (radiating all hues of red colour), can be used by anyone without any training and cost of application is also very low or nothing.
Alta is one of the main important parts of Indian bride trousseau. Indian Hindu bride enters her home after dipping her feet in a plate full of Alta and then steps inside leaving her auspicious footprints behind which signifies, Goddess Lakshmi entering home.
Unfortunately, its competitor Mehndi/ Heena came with the Mugal invasion and mostly talked about these days has taken the limelight. This is mainly because Mehndi can take elaborate designs form but not Alta. For the greater good, both of these products are natural and eco-friendly in reality. India now is a land of both Alta and Mehndi and every Indian Lady loves to apply both.
Alta, however, can be prominently seen in some of the very globally adored Indian movies which have depicted the traditional Indian culture, such as Devdas, Jodha-Akhbar, Chokher-Bali and many more. To get a deeper sense of Alta, which happen to hold its root for being simple, authentic and Ethnic I would like you to explore this product more and have hands-on experience.
You can also buy this product online at amazon.
(PS: As I am an Indian customer so Amazon is stating price in INR)
References
1. Alta Dye: Bright Red Liquid Color Used to Adorn Palms and Feet. Available at: https://www.utsavpedia.com/cultural-connections/alta/. (Accessed: 23rd November 2020)
2. The “Aalta” allure…… — Elegant Eves. Available at: https://www.eleganteves.com/2015/07/the-aalta-allure.html. (Accessed: 23rd November 2020)
3. All that you need to know about the simple Alta Mehendi. — Bong360. Available at: https://bong360.in/uncategorized/all-that-you-need-to-know-about-the-simple-alta-mehendi/. (Accessed: 23rd November 2020)
4. A sacred dye to return. Available at: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/a-sacred-dye-to-return-46133. (Accessed: 23rd November 2020)
