“They make great armband tattoos” are the words of Jeremy Hall when describing the use of Sanskrit in modern day tattooing. “Sanskrit words or scripts look very organized because of the horizontal line joining each character” he states when describing the utility of the language.
Sanskrit, an ancient language dating as early as 1500BC, was used for Hindu and other religions. It was also used for poetry, technical, and philosophical writings. Sometimes called the “mother of all languages”, today it is used in Hindu ceremony.
Sanskrit tattoos are recently gaining in popularity and designs with their meanings and designs hosted on many websites. Often in a band around the wrist or arm, sometimes they are depicted scrolling down the wrist or incorporated into elaborate traditional designs.
If an ancient script is still being tattooed to people’s skin, can we still call it a ‘dead’ language?
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