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True Indigo (Indigofera TinctoriaL.)

A natural Indigo prepared from fresh leaves of True indigo (Indigofera tinctoriaL.) plant belonging to the Fabaceae family, also known as Neel in Sanskrit, Nilini, Ranjani, Graminia, Kalokeshi, Neelpushp, Madhupatrika by the natural fermentation process. This indigo is manufactured and cultivated in India from traditional productions in powder form that were once an important source of indigo dye up to the beginning of the 20th century. It is also directly used as a natural pigment for Paintings, decoration, fine arts, etc after homogenizing into the selected binder or medium. Ancient Egypt , Greece and Rome also knew about blue. Egyptian 18th Dynasty mummies were wrapped in blue paper. By the end of the 19th century, indigo cultivation was not economically viable, and farmers turned to paddy and jute cultivation. In the districts of Nadia, Jessore, Bogra, Rangpur, etc., indigo cultivation was widely done. In 1859-60, when the British indigo planters were forced to cultivate indigo through torture and oppression, the indigo growers started a massive movement against it, which is known as the Indigo Revolt or ''Nil bidroha''. This plant also has herbal properties. In modern Kaviraj treatment, indigo roots and leaves are used for various ailments. Leaf juice is beneficial for epilepsy. This photo was taken at Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Sargachi at Beldanga, West Bengal; India on 22/6/2023. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)

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