Source: Dylan Goldby
Ramnami Samaj or Tribe is a Hindu sect founded by Parasuram in the 1890s that worships Lord Ram. As per various estimates, the tribe has about 20,000 to more than 100,000 people.
No accurate demographic data is available for the tribe but they primarily reside in villages along the Mahanadi river in Chhattisgarh. Some Ramnamis also live in border regions of Maharashtra and Odisha.
Every member of the tribe tattoos the word ‘Ram’ on their body. They also wear a shawl with ‘Ram’ printed all over on it and wear a headgear sometimes that is made up of peacock feathers.
People from the tribe with full body tattoos are known as ‘purnanakshik’ and are mostly in their seventies; the younger generations of Ramnamis are no longer tattooed, fearing that they might be discriminated against and denied work because of the tattoos.
As per various legends, the founder of Ramnami tribe, Parsuram is believed to be the first person to tattoo the word ‘Ram’ on his forehead in the 1890s. He did this as an act of defiance after being denied entry to a temple by high-caste Hindus.
People belonging to the tribe adhere to not smoking or drinking and chanting the name of Lord Ram every day. They also gather every year for a three-day Bhajan Mela at the end of the harvest season in December-January in the Raipur district of Chhattisgarh.