Forehead Dot

The Hindu Forehead Dot

 The dot worn on the forehead is a religious symbol.

It represents divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu.

For women, it is also a beauty mark.

It is called the bindi in the Hindi language, bindu in Sanskrit and pottu in Tamil.

The dot has a mystical meaning. It represents the third eye of spiritual sight, which sees things the physical eyes cannot see.

Hindus seek to awaken their inner sight through yoga.

The forehead dot is a reminder to use and cultivate this spiritual vision to perceive and better understand life's inner workings-to see things not just physically, but with the "mind's eye" as well.

The bindi is made of red powder (called sindur, traditionally made from powdered turmeric and fresh lime juice), sandalpaste or cosmetics.  In addition to the simple dot, there are many types of forehead marks, known as tilaka in Sanskrit.

Each mark represents a particular sect or denomination of our vast religion.

There are four major sects: Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism.

Vaishnava Hindus, for example, wear a v-shaped tilaka made of white clay.

Elaborate tilakas are worn by Hindus mainly at religious events, though many wear the simple bindi, indicating they are Hindu, even in the general public. By these marks we know what a person believes, and therefore know how to begin conversations. For Hindu women, the forehead dot is also a beauty mark.

The Red bindi is generally a sign of marriage.

A Black bindi is often worn before marriage to ward off the evil eye.

The dot can be small or large depending on the circumstance, but should always be there when appropriate.