Medicolegal Study of Tattoo Marks in Tribes of Dindori District of Madhya Pradesh

The practice of extensive body tattooing dates back to long back in history. Apart from being made for body decoration, tattoos hold different meanings, have many beliefs attached to them. Now days, such an extensive tattooing is getting restricted to the tribal people only. It's an integral part of tribal culture & Baiga is one such tribe which is known for their extensive body tattooing. They are most abundantly populated in an area known as "Baiga-Chak" in the central India. They have deep beliefs associated with their tattoos. Here, in this paper we have studied various tattooing practices followed by Baigas of Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh, India with respect to the importance they assign to their designs & medico-legal purposes they can serve.