“I began accompanying my mother, Shanti Bai Maravi, a prominent Baiga tattoo artist, from a very young age. It was when I was visiting Bhopal, aged 12, with her that I came across many works of tribal artists in Janjatiya Sangralaya (Tribal Museum) and was inspired to preserve the Godna tattoo tradition that was a part of my heritage,” says Mangala Bai Maravi, who has exhibited the tribal tattoo tradition on canvas internationally, assisted by Amit Arjel-Sharma.
Heritage
Mangala Bai Maravi On Taking India's Fading Godna Art Beyond Borders
Hailing from Lalpur, a small village that looks like a dot on the expansive map of Madhya Pradesh, Maravi had her hands set on creating Godna art on women from a very young age. Now she takes the art form around the world
Shreya Cheema
26 February 2025
Mangala Bai Maravi standing alongside her fifteen-foot-long work displayed at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
Photo: University of Sydney
Mangala Bai Maravi standing alongside her fifteen-foot-long work displayed at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
Photo: University of Sydney
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