Tilaka
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- Tilak redirects here. For the Indian nationalist leader see Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
In Hinduism, the tilaka, pronounced tilak (also known as bindi or teep), is a mark worn on the forehead and other parts of the body. It is commonly seen between the parting of the hair on married women, and on the third eye region of the forehead on Hindu priests, practising Hindus and other Hindus on religious occasions.
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[edit] Tilaks worn by men
It may be made with sandalwood paste, ashes, clay, or another 'cooling' (per Ayurveda) substance. Different Hindu traditions use different materials and shapes to make the tilak.
- Saivites typically use ashes and draw their tilaks as three horizontal lines (tripundra).
- Vaishnavas apply clay from a holy river or place (such as Vrindavan or the Yamuna river) which is sometimes mixed with sandalwood paste. They apply the material in two vertical lines, which may be connected at the bottom, forming either a simple U shape or with an additional marking in the shape of a tulsi leaf. Their tilak is called the urdhva-pundra.
[edit] Tilaks worn by women
Tilakam (or tilaka) have been worn by Hindu women for many millennia. They generally use dots, or bindi, rather than the lines worn by men. They usually make their marks with red powder, such as sindoor, kumkum, or kasturi. Sometimes a dark powder is used. The bindi can vary from small to large.
The tilaka is also worn as a beauty mark, by women of all faiths, with no connotation of Hindu belief. The term "bindi" seems to be more often used for beauty marks.
A women's tilak can be called:
Sometimes the terms sindoor, kumkum, or kasturi are used, by reference to the material used to make the mark.
[edit] Tilaks worn in Nepal
In Nepal, Bihar and other regions, the tilak is called a "tika," and is a mixture of abir, a red powder, yoghurt, and grains of rice.
[edit] The purpose of the tilak
The tilak is decorative; it is also an identifying mark. Worn by a priest or an ascetic, it shows which Hindu tradition he follows.
The tilak is also believed to have medicinal and protective functions. The pastes applied are considered "cooling", and are applied to the ajna chakra, a concentration of spiritual energy on the forehead between the eyebrows. The tilak is also considered to bestow spiritual comfort and protection against demons, bad luck, and other evil forces.
The earliest reference to a tilak is said to be found in the Rigveda, an early Sanskrit hymn. The hymn describes lord Surya's wife, the goddess Usha (or dawn), as wearing a bright red dot on her forehead, symbolic of the rising sun.
Tilaks are also discussed in the Vasudeva Upanishad.
[edit] Related customs
In addition to the bindi, in northern India, a vermilion mark in the parting of the hair just above the forehead is worn by married women as a symbol of their married status. During North Indian marriage ceremonies, the groom applies sindoor on the parting in the bride's hair.
[edit] In other cultures
The ritual use of painted marks is also to be found in other religious traditions, ancient and modern. In Ancient Near East and Africa similar marks were used by Mediterranean worshippers of Helios in Heliopolis, South Egypt (Thebes), etc.
In Chinese mythology, the deity Nezha is typically depicted with a Bindi.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Entwistle, A.W. Vaishnava tilakas: Sectarian marks worn by worshippers of Vishnu (IAVRI bulletin). International Association of the Vrindaban Research Institute, 1981. ISBN B0007BNJJ6
- Keel, Othmar; Uehlinger, Christoph. Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God in Ancient Israel. Continuum International Publishing Group London, UK. 1998. ISBN 0-567-08591-0
[edit] External links
- Vasudeva Upanisad
- On Tilak: Urdhva Pundra Vidhi
- Preparing for Worship
- How to put on Tilak
- The appearance of a Vaisnava
- Tilak, by Swami Shivananda
- General view on tilak
- Bindi and its significance
- Vatican Museums, Fabbrica di San Pietro image of St. Paul
- Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Sergiev Posad icon of Christ Pantocrator, 16th century
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