Henna, Ingredients & Safety

What is Alta?

Alta, also called mahavar, is a red liquid dye traditionally painted on the edges of the feet and palms of brides and dancers in Bengal, Odisha and other parts of India. Unlike henna, it is painted on and washes off in days.

Alta explained

Traditionally made from lac resin, alta is applied with a brush or cotton swab, often as a solid red border around the soles of the feet, and is part of bridal shringar in many eastern Indian communities.

Some brides wear both: mehendi on the hands and alta on the feet, or a mehendi design with an alta border.

Also searched as: aalta · mahavar · alta dye · red feet dye

Mehendi designs related to alta

Feet Mehendi

Feet mehendi is a design applied to the tops of the feet, toes and often the soles, usually matching the hand design for brides and ending at the ankle or extending up the leg.

Related mehendi terms

Sola ShringarSola shringar refers to the sixteen traditional adornments of an Indian bride, such as sindoor, bindi, kajal, bangles, anklets and mehendi. Henna on the hands and feet is one of the most important of these adornments.HennaHenna is a plant, Lawsonia inermis, whose dried and powdered leaves release an orange-red dye called lawsone. Mixed into a paste and applied to skin, it leaves a temporary reddish-brown stain that lasts one to three weeks.JaguaJagua is a plant-based body art dye made from the fruit of Genipa americana, a tree native to Central and South America. It leaves a blue-black stain that develops over a day or two and lasts one to two weeks.DulhanDulhan is the Hindi and Urdu word for bride. In mehendi it is used for bridal designs ("dulhan mehendi") and for the figure of the bride drawn on the palm in traditional dulha-dulhan portrait designs.

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