Mehndi
or Henna, applied on the hands or feet of females, is quite popular in
India. Out of the various types of mehndi available in India, the mehndi
of Rajasthan is one of the most popular. Mehndi is prepared by grinding
the dry henna leaves into a very fine powder and then making a paste
with water. This paste is then applied on the hands and feet of females
in the form of beautiful designs, with the help of matchsticks or cones.
After the mehndi gets dry, it is removed revealing the beautiful designs
on the skin in red color. The Rajasthani Mehendi is considered to be one
of the best because it leaves the darkest color of red on hands and
feet. For this reason only, the henna of Rajasthan, India is very much in demand for the bridal mehndi also. In Rajasthan, Mehendi is put up on almost each and every occasion, in a different design, as it is considered very auspicious. One of the most popular designs in Rajasthan is the one called chowk. Literally meaning a courtyard, it is put up in various forms, each form being suitable for a different occasion. One design is applied at the time of the Gangaur fair, another at the time of Teej, yet another for Holi and so on. Other popular designs are chopper (game of dice, symbolic of marital love), lahriya (waves), pankhi or beejani (meaning fan), etc.
