Hindu symbolism
Alternative Title: tilaka
Tilak, Sanskrit tilaka ("mark"), in Hinduism, a mark, generally made on the forehead, indicating a person's sectarian affiliation. The marks are made by hand or with a metal stamp, using ash from a sacrificial fire, sandalwood paste, turmeric, cow dung, clay, charcoal, or red lead. Among some sects the mark is made on 2, 5, 12, or 32 parts of the body as well as on the forehead. Among Shaivas (followers of Shiva), the tilak usually takes the form of three horizontal parallel lines across the forehead, with or without a red dot. Sometimes a crescent moon or trident denotes a Shaiva. Among Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu), the many tilak variations follow a general pattern of two or more vertical lines resembling the letter U and representing the foot of Vishnu, with or without a central line or dot.
Marks worn by women on the forehead (most commonly a red dot for unwidowed women) may indicate sect affiliation, but more frequently they vary according to the fashion prevailing in a particular part of India.
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…are also differentiated by their tilak (mark on the forehead), which is never made of ash and is always vertical in design.…
Shaivism, organized worship of the Indian god Shiva and, with Vaishnavism and Shaktism, one of the three principal forms of modern Hinduism. Shaivism includes such diverse movements as the highly philosophical Shaiva-siddhanta, the socially distinctive Lingayat, ascetics such as the dashnami sannyasins, and innumerable folk variants. The Vedas speak of the…
Shiva, (Sanskrit: "Auspicious One") one of the main deities of Hinduism, whom Shaivites worship as the supreme god. Among his common epithets are Shambhu ("Benign"), Shankara ("Beneficent"), Mahesha ("Great Lord"), and Mahadeva ("Great God").…
Vaishnavism, one of the major forms of modern Hinduism, characterized by devotion to the god Vishnu and his incarnations (avatars). A devotee of Vishnu is called a Vaishnava. The devotional Vaishnava literature that emerged in Sanskrit and in vernacular writings from the 10th through the 16th century…
Vishnu, (Sanskrit: "The Pervader") one of the principal Hindu deities. Vishnu combines many lesser divine figures and local heroes, chiefly through his avatars, particularly Rama and Krishna. His appearances are innumerable; he is often said to have 10 avatars—but not always the same 10. Among the 1,000 names of Vishnu…
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