Mangala Bai Maravi, a devoted artist of the Baiga tribe in Lalpur, Madhya Pradesh, has woven her life’s purpose into the sacred ink of Godna—the ancient tattoo art of her people. For generations, Baiga women have carried their stories on their skin, receiving their first marks at the age of nine. The forehead is adorned first, followed by arms, legs, back, and chest, each design an echo of their ancestry, a whisper of their spirit. Inspired by nature’s rhythm—the sun, the mountains, the rippling fish, the golden grains—these tattoos are more than mere ornamentation; they map the journey of a woman’s life, marking the thresholds of puberty, adulthood, and marriage. They are believed to heal, to protect, and to accompany the soul into eternity.