Sikha

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A man wearing a small sikha.

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Hinduism: Swastika
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The sikha or shikha is a long tuft of hair left on top or on the back of the shaven head of a male Hindu Brahmin, Vaishnava or Sanyasi.

Traditionally, Hindu men of the highest Brahmin caste shave off all their hair as a child, in a sanskara or ritual known as the Mundan ceremony. A lock of hair is left at the crown. Traditionally, this is left to grow throughout the man's life, though usually only the most orthodox religious men will continue this hairstyle.

The sikha is tied back to perform religious rites. Only funerals and death anniversaries are performed with tuft untied or with dishevelled hair. Dishevelled hair is considered inauspicious, and represents times of great sorrow or calamity. In Hindu scripture, the goddess Draupadi took an oath in the assembly of the Kurus after she was molested by Dussasana that she would remain with dishevelled hair until the enemies were properly revenged.

The sikha signifies one-pointed (ekanta) focus on a spiritual goal, and devotion to the gods Brahma or Vishnu. According to Smriti Shastrasa is mandatory for all four castes to keep sikha and the first three twice-born or Dwija castes to wear Yajnopavita or Janeu or Paita.^{[citation needed]} Sikha is an identification sign of all Hindus, while the Yajnopavita is the sign of the twice-borns.