Tattoo-crazy celebs

These visual treats are among the oldest surviving fashion statements. Tribal chieftains of yore had them etched all over their body and even their face. Even the Egyptian pharaohs fancied them. And they weren't just a fashion fad, in many parts of the world they had significant values and purposes ranging from religious requirements to signs of bravery and sexuality, a means of protection against evil and more.

Tattoos can be permanent or temporary. While many prefer having temporary tattoos, there are a large number of tattoo enthusiasts including celebrated actors and models who have colourful and bold tattoos permanently etched on various parts of their body. And there are a fraction of them who have their entire body tattooed.

 Deepika Padukone
A close look at the back of her neck reveals a pretty artistic tattoo that looks like RK - the initials of her on-and-off boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor. The actress doesn't agree though - room for some art-ful guessing.

Megan Fox
She is one helluva tattoo lover and has at least seven of them.
One on her back that reads "We will all laugh at gilded butterflies", which has been inspired by a speech made by King Lear to his daughter Cordelia in Shakespeare's King Lear.

The best one among them, a beautiful sketch of Marilyn Monroe, can be seen on her right arm.
A little colourful one just above her right ankle is of a crescent moon on a star.
There's yet another much below her waist - her ex-boyfriend Brian's name.
A tribal tattoo on her left wrist symbolises the overlapping of two waves; the actress isn't too happy with this one and is considering removing it.
At the back of her neck is a miniature Chinese tattoo which is representative of strength.
A seventh tattoo, an inscription "there was once a little girl who never knew love until a boy broke her HEART" can be seen on her left rib cage.
There are rumours that the Transformers star, rated as one of the sexiest in the world, has more tattoos on her. Watch this space!

Raveena Tandon
One of the trendsetters for the tattoo culture in Bollywood, Raveena has her Zodiac sign Scorpio tattooed on her left chest. There is another on her back - in an Indian script.

Angelina Jolie
Hollywood's tattoo queen has a spate of tattoos etched all over her.
The One in Gothic script seen on her back that says "Know your rights" is the title of a single by her favourite punk rock band The Clash.
Another just below her left shoulder in Khmer script was done by an artist in Pathum Thani in Thailand and has a spiritual context.This was done to protect her and her adopted Vietnamese son Maddox from evil elements. Translated to English, the it reads as "May your enemies run far away from you.If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always.Your beauty will be that of Apsara.Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides."
Four geographical co-ordinates on her left upper arm are the locations on earth where her four children hail from.
There's another on her right arm which is in Arabic. Believed to have been done to conceal an older tattoo, this one in Arabic means Determination.
Angelina Jolie had XIII tattooed on her left underarm to show that she does not care for superstitions. Perpendicular to it she has V MCMXL (Roman for May 1940). This is to pay tribute to the quote "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" made by Winston Churchill on 13 May 1940.
On her left forearm, the actress has the words of American playwright Tennessee Williams, "A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages".
And there are more tattoos, a cross on her waist, an 'h' on her left wrist and a huge one of a Bengal tiger on her lower back to celebrate her becoming a Vietnamese citizen.
The actress is contemplating having more tattoos in the future.

Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta had a pretty Maori design and a rose etched on her left ankle and admitted that she was inspired by actress Megan Fox.

Rihanna
Besides a tattoo depicting stars on her back, the singer has at least a dozen more on various parts of her body. A one depicting a music note on her left foot, her Zodiac sign Pisces behind her right ear, a Sanskrit hymn on her hip, a star on her left ear, love inscribed on her left middle finger and shhh inscribed on her right index finger, "Freedom is God" tattooed in Arabic on her hip, a skull on her left ankle, a beautiful Indian-style design on her left hand, a gun (oops!) below her right arm and more. Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox had better watch out!

Barbara Mori
The ravishing Mexican star has a snake tattoo encircling her left ankle. She also has tattoo on her neck and a tattoo of 4 crosses on her right forearm and a recent one done on her right foot that symbolises sibling love. Her brother got a similar 'sibling love' motif done on his leg.

Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice
Posh Spice's latest tattoo is the one behind her neck which is in Hebrew and when translated to English reads as "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, that feedeth among the lilies". There's another with her husband David Beckham's initials on her left wrist. There is reportedly another "8th May" on another wrist, the day she and her husband first got intimate. A tattoo of four stars on her lower back represents her, her husband and children.

Saif Ali Khan
To declare his undying love for Kareena Kapoor, Saif had a loud tattoo with Kareena's name done on his left inner arm.

Natalie Portman
Popular for her role of Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the New York-based actress sports a tattoo NY on her left wrist.

Amrita Arora
Actress Amrita Arora has gone for a romantic theme and has "Love Saves the Day" tattooed on her back.

David Beckham
When it comes to tattoos, the English football star seems to be in the same league as Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox. All his tattoos have to do with his love for his family.
There's one on his left inner arm, of Victoria, etched in Hindi script.
A very attractive one on his torso depicts Jesus Christ moving towards the Cross, which has been inspired by a painting by Matthew R Brooks.
A tattoo of a crucifix stands out on his back.
A superb tattoo of a guardian angel sits pretty on his right upper arm and another of a guardian angel tattooed close to the names of his three children Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz on his shoulder.
Number 7 tattooed as Roman numeral seven on his right inner arm is the number of the jersey he sported when playing for Manchester United.
There are more inscriptions and more tattoos on David Beckham and more to come in the near future.

Esha Deol
Esha Deol has an 'om' sign tattooed on the top left of her back and the Gayatri Mantra on the top right side.

Mandira Bedi
The charismatic showbiz personality has a Buddhist symbol 'om' tattooed close to her navel and the other of 'Ekom Kar' a symbol of Sikh religious significance behind her neck. The latter tattoo drew a lot of flak from the Sikh community.

Rumer Willis
Budding Hollywood actress Rumer Willis has the words Be Present tattooed on her left rib-cage area and another on her right wrist. In addition to that, she has a tattoo of a bird on her right shoulder blade and a tattoo of a rosary on the ring finger of her left hand.

Zeenat Aman
Yesteryears' matinee heartthrob Zeenat Aman too sports a colourful floral tattoo on her right ankle.

Pamela Anderson
The buxom Baywatch star has around four tattoos on her. The most famous of her tattoos is the barbed wire tattoo on her left arm. She has a design running down her back, one around one of her fingers and another on her left heel.

Melanie Griffith
The actress has husband Antonio Banderas' first name tattooed in a heart design on her right arm and a floral tattoo on her inner left ankle.

Lindsay Lohan
The attractive actress has some delicate tattoos drawn on her. A tiny heart close to her thumb of her left hand, a slighty bigger star on her left wrist; 'la bella vita' (meaning beautiful life) inscribed on her lower back; and the word 'breathe'(done in very light ink) on her right wrist. And there's a tattoo on one of her fingers that reads as Shhh.
Source: India Syndicate
Image credits: Reuters