Tilaka

Tilak redirects here. For the Hindu nationalist leader see Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Indian woman with tilaka and bindi

In Hinduism, the tilaka or tika or tilak (Sanskrit: तिलक tilaka; Hindustani pronunciation: [t̪ɪˈlək] tilak)^[1] is a mark worn on the forehead and other parts of the body. Tilaka may be worn on a daily basis or for special religious occasions only, depending on different customs.

Significance of tilaka

The tilaka symbolizes the third eye, or mind's eye, associated with many Hindu gods, and the idea of meditation and spiritual enlightenment. In the past, tilakas were usually worn by gods, priests, ascetics, or worshippers, but is now a common practice for most Hindus. It can express which Hindu tradition one follows. It may be made with sandalwood paste, ashes (vibhuti), kumkum, sindhoor, clay, or other substances. The pastes are applied to the forehead and in some cases to the upper part of the head.

History and evolution of the tilak

The tilak is a mark created by the smearing of powder or paste on the forehead. Occasionally it extends vertically and horizontally on a large part of the forehead and may cover the nose also. The most conspicuous and widespread are those worn by Vaishnavites or followers of Lord Vishnu and his incarnations, chiefly Lord Krishna. The tilak consists of a long line starting from just below the hairline till almost the end of one's nose tip. It is intercepted in the middle by an elongated U. There may be two marks on the temples as well. This tilak is traditionally done with sandalwood paste, lauded in Hindu texts for its purity and cooling nature.

The other major tilak variant is often worn by the followers of Lord Shiva and the different forms of Devi Shakti. It consists of three horizontal bands across the forehead with a single vertical band or circle in the middle. This is traditionally done with the ash or bhasma of the wood used in yagnyas to propitiate Lord Shiva or Devi Shakti. This variant is the more ancient of the two and shares many common aspect with similar markings worn across the world. Many worshippers of Goddess Shakti will wear a rectangular mark of kumkum on the forehead, especially South Indians or those of South Indian descent.

Nowadays, many Hindus do not wear the tilak in everyday life. Women consider it an old tradition that doesn't suit their western clothing, but many Hindu women do wear the Bindi. The tilak is often worn on religious occasions and on auspicious days (birthdays, weddings, etc.) or after marriage.

Tilak based upon caste system

Based upon the Hindu caste system and vedic texts, there are four types of tilaka: ^[2]

• Brahman tilak - Urdhapundra - marking of two vertical lines on forehead (now it is more of a U-shaped tilak.)
• Kshatriya tilak - Tripundra - three arc-like vertical lines on the forehead with a circular mark on top of it
• Vaishya tilak - Ardhachandra - half moon tilak, with a bindi or circular mark in middle of the half arc
• Shudra tilak - Partal - large circular mark on forehead

Terminology

Red tikka powder at Haridwar

The word is pronounced "tilak" rather than "tilaka" in common Hindi as the "a" at the end is not always pronounced, and is often written that way.

In Nepal, Bihar and other regions, the tilak is called a tikā/teeka (टिका [ʈɪkaː]^[3]), and is a mixture of abir, a red powder, yoghurt, and grains of rice. The most common tikka is red powder applied with the thumb, in a single upward stroke.

Tilaka based on sect

Man with tilaka

Different Hindu traditions use different materials and shapes to make the tilaka ^[4].

• Saivites typically use vibhuti in three horizontal lines across the forehead. A bindu of sandalwood paste with a dot of kumkum in the centre is often worn with the vibhuti (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 tilaka is called the Urdhva Pundra tilak.
• Ganapatya use red sandal paste (rakta candana).^[5]
• Shaktas use kumkuma, or powdered red turmeric. They draw one vertical line or dot.
• Honorary tilakas (Raj tilak and Vir tilak are usually applied as a single vertical red line. Raj tilak will be used while throning kings or inviting prominent personalities. Vir tilak is used to anoint victors or leaders after a war or a game.
• Swaminarayan tilak is U-shaped in the middle of forehead along with the red dot in the middle of U (known as chandlo).

Types of tilak

There are nineteen types of tilak:^[6].

• Vijayshree - white tilak urdhwapundra with a white line in the middle,^[6] founded by Swami Balanand of Jaipur
• Bendi tilak - white tilak urdhwapundra with a white round mark in the middle,^[7] founded by Swami Ramprasad Acharya of Badasthan Ayodhya.
• Chaturbhuji tilak - white tilak urdhwapundra with the upper portion turned 90 degrees in the opposite direction, no shri in the middle, founded by Narayandasji of Bihar, ascetics of Swarg Dwar of Ayodhya follow it.

Other tilaks

These include 12 Sri Tilaks^[8]

1. Sri Tilak of Rewasa Gaddi
2. Ramcharandas Tilak
3. Srijiwaram ka Tilak
4. Sri Janakraj Kishori Sharan Rasik Aliji ka Tilak
5. Sri Rupkalajee ka Tilak
6. Rupsarasji ka Tilak
7. Ramsakheeji ka Tilak
8. Kamnendu Mani ka Tilak
9. Karunsindhuji ka Tilak
10. Swaminarayan Tilak
11. Nimbark ka Tilak
12. Madhwa ka Tilak

Relationship to bindi

The terms tilaka and bindi overlap somewhat, but are definitely not synonymous. Among the differences:

• A tilaka is always applied with paste or powder, whereas a bindi may be paste, a sticker, or even jewelry.
• A tilaka can be worn by both sexes, whereas a bindi is worn only by women.
• A tilaka is usually applied for religious or spiritual reasons, or to honor a personage, event, or victory. A bindi can signify marriage, or be simply for decorative purposes.
• A bindi is worn only between the eyes, whereas a tilaka can also cover the face or other parts of the body. Tilak can be applied to twelve parts of the body: head, forehead, neck, both upper-arms, both forearms, chest, both sides of the torso, stomach and shoulder.
• Bindi is a Hindi term, whereas tilaka applies to the entire Indian subcontinent.

Different styles

• 

  A sadhu (holy man) in Ahmedabad

• 

  Sadhus in Rajasthan

• 

  A sadhu in Varanasi

Red tikka marks are traditionally used in wedding ceremonies as well as in everyday life.

See also

• Tilak (Vaishnava)

Notes

1. ^ V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary. p. 475.
2. ^ Gautam Chatterjee, Sacred Hindu Symbols, page 71
3. ^ Wells, John (11 September 2009). "But Soft!". John Wells's Phonetic Blog. http://phonetic-blog.blogspot.com/2009/09/but-soft.html. Retrieved 11 September 2009. 
4. ^ Makhan Jha, Anthropology of ancient Hindu kingdoms: a study in civilizational prespective, Page 126
5. ^ p. 202, note 40. Grimes, John A. Ganapati: Song of the Self. (State University of New York Press: Albany, 1995) ISBN 0-7914-2440-5
6. ^ ^{a b} Vijay Prakash Sharma, The sadhus and Indian civilisation, page 72
7. ^ Vijay Prakash Sharma, The sadhus and Indian civilisation, page 73
8. ^ Vijay Prakash Sharma, The sadhus and Indian civilisation, page 75

References

• Entwistle, A. W. (1981). Vaishnava tilakas: Sectarian marks worn by worshippers of Vishnu (IAVRI bulletin). International Association of the Vrindaban Research Institute. 

Further reading

• Mittal, Sushil; Thursby, Gene R. (2006). Religions of South Asia: An Introduction. Taylor & Francis, United Kingdom. ISBN 0415223903. pp. 73.

External links

• Preparing for Worship
• Vaishnava Tilaka
• How to put on Tilak
• General view on tilak