Related Terms • khanda • Omkar • chakra • tilaka • Jain Hand Related Resources • Druze • Yezidi • Baha'i • Mandeism Glossaries  • Symbol Glossary • Alternative Religions Glossary • Glossary of Magick and the Occult

A Bindi or tilaka (tilaka means red) is a symbol drawn with clay, ashes (vihuti), or sandalwood on the area in the center of the forehead (Ajna chakra), as a mark of devotion to the Hindu deities.

The tilaka has a different design depending on which deity it honors- for example, a tilaka of three stripes and a dot is known as a tripundra, and denotes a Shaivite, or follower of Shiva, a "u" shaped mark surrounding a bindu (dot) denotes a follower of Krishna.

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