India, May 17 -- There are many ways to save something. One can document it, place it in a museum, capture it on camera, or simply write about it.

When Moranngam Khaling began to worry about the ancient but fading tattoo traditions of north-east India, none of these approaches seemed ideal. He wanted, he says, to help it sprout back to life.

That's how the 40-year-old ended up creating a "tattoo garden".

"In our culture, every element that goes into a tattoo was once a living thing. It's a nature-to-nature transfer," he says.

So, on a four-acre plot in Khoibu village, Manipur, his tattoo garden holds 25 types of plants, representing the raw materials used across 10 tribes.

In addition, there are photos and explanations of patterns; a...