The Colour Red

The deep red liquid dye, alta or mahavar, worn by brides of eastern India on their hands and feet during wedding rituals stands for passion, love, and fertility. A part of the solah shringar mandated for brides, alta plays a crucial role in Bengali wedding rituals; when a new bride enters her in-laws’ house, she dips her feet in a thal of alta and walks inside, symbolising the arrival of the goddess Lakshmi. Alta is also worn by performers of Indian classical dance forms like Odissi to highlight the mudras. Originally made with lac, alta’s etymology can be traced to the Sanskrit term “Lakshaya Rasa.” References to it are also found in Kalidasa’s “Abhijnyana-Shakuntalam,” where Shakuntala is portrayed embellishing her hands and feet with this distinctive red dye. In addition, idols of Banke Bihari, the combined form of Radha and Krishna, are often depicted with their palms and feet coloured with alta.