The Tilaka is normally a vermilion mark applied on the forehead. This mark
has a religious significance and is a visible sign of a person as belonging
to the Hindu religion. The Tilaka is of more than one colour although
normally it is vermilion. It also does not have any standard shape and form
and is applied differently by members of different Hindu sects and
sub-sects.
It is applied as a 'U' by worshippers of lord Vishnu and is red, yellow or
saffron in colour It is made up of red ochre powder (Sindhura) and
sandalwood paste (Gandha). Worshippers of lord Shiva apply it as three
horizontal lines and it consists of ash (Bhasma). Soot (Abhira) is also
used as a pigment for applying a Tilaka.
Thus there is a variety of pigments; red, yellow, saffron, white, grey
and black, etc. These pigments are not only applied on the forehead but in
some cases they are applied also on the forearms and the abdomen. This is
normally so in the case of worshippers of Shiva, a deity whose origin is
said to lie in the primitive pre-Arvan or proto-Aryan society.
Literally, Tilaka means a mark. Sindhura which is also used to describe
a Tilaka means red and Gandha which is also a term for Tilaka means
pleasant odour. Hence, Tilaka normally connotes, a red mark with a pleasant
odour. Some scholars have seen the red colour as a symbolism for blood. We
are told that in ancient times, in Aryan society, a groom used to apply his
blood, on-his bride's forehead as a recognition of wedlock. The existing
practice among Indian women of applying a round shaped red Tilaka called
Bindiya or Kumkum could be a survival of this.
Significantly when an Indian woman has the misfortune of becoming a
widow she has to stop wearing this mark. In a woman's case a Tilaka is a
sign of her being in wedlock Among men, the Tilaka has been traditionally
interpreted as a good luck charm. Apart from applying it in the course of
normal life, its application had special significance while setting out for
a battle, a hunt or before any other event of importance. To demonstrate
the person's solemn commitment to succeed in the endeavour he was about to
undertake, the Tilaka was made up of the person's own blood. Even today
application of one's own blood as a Tilaka is considered to be a display of
solemn commitment to the oath or pledge being undertaken.
How this practice of Tilaka came into being is an open question. But
anthropological researches show that in most tribal societies in tropical
and equatorial regions, there exist customs according to which people paint
their naked or semi-nude bodies with different pigments. This may be for
decorative and ritualistic reasons. Even today in our civilised way of
life, during festivals like Holi or Carnival whose origins are supposed to
lie in a primitive tribal past, the smearing of colours is an essential
aspect of festivities. Tilaka could be a refined adaptation of this tribal
practice.
On the whole it can be said that Tilaka is a survival of the tribal
practice of smearing one's body with different colours. This practice was
later refined and given a solemn meaning.
