The traditions of India are very interesting and mysterious. In this article we will talk about bindi - points on the forehead of the Indians. Let's see why it is needed: for decoration or is it a way to say something to others? This tradition appeared a long time ago, we can say for sure that the red dot on the forehead of a woman, called bindi, indicates that she is married. But bindi is also found in men ...

Indians put a special meaning into the dot on the forehead. This mark is placed in the place of the third eye. Bindi can be any color and size.

What does bindi mean

• The dot on the forehead denotes hidden wisdom, it is associated with the eye of Shiva.
• The point is placed in the place of the Ajna Chakra, in which all the experience of mankind is concentrated, it allows you to receive wisdom and energy.
• Bindi can protect a person from the evil eye and negative energy, some interpret it as a full moon.
• Widows do not make a mark on their forehead; in women, it shows status and is able to attract happiness and tranquility to the house.
• Previously, a dot on the forehead denoted belonging to a caste.

How did the tradition of putting a dot on the forehead

There is a legend according to which red represents strength and power. And sindur (the powder with which bindi is applied) means respect for the Goddess Parvati, she is able to give blessings to all women. Women believe that applying a dot on the forehead has a cosmetic effect and allows you to overcome wrinkles. If a woman professes Islam, she also puts on a bindi, indicating that she is married.

Tilak is also a mark on the forehead which has a sacred meaning. With it, you can determine what religion a person preaches. People believe that with the help of tilak they receive divine protection and become closer to God. This tradition has existed for several thousand years and the Indians use it both with religious meaning and for decoration for the holiday.

Reading 7 min. Views 5.4k. Published on 03/11/2016

The mysterious East attracts Western people with its traditions, cultural characteristics, splendor of dresses and jewelry, beauty of women. For example, a dot on the forehead of Indian women, called bindi, is one of the secrets that attracts us, and sometimes simply haunts us: why do Eastern women put this mark?

What is it: an unusual decoration or a way to convey some important information around? Today, bindi is both a decoration that is popular not only among Indian women, but also among residents of other countries, and a traditional stain that carries a certain meaning.

What can bindi say?

Today it is not known exactly when the tradition of drawing a colored spot on the forehead of an Indian woman appeared, but, definitely, she appeared

long enough. If we consider bindi from the point of view cultural heritage India, you should know that, first of all, a red dot traditionally adorns the foreheads of married women. It is especially interesting what meaning is invested by the Indians themselves in bindi.

The very word "bindi" from Hindi is translated as "drop", "point". There are other names: tika, kumkum, chandra, sindor, tilakam, pottu. Traditionally, it is drawn in the center of the forehead between the eyebrows in the area of ​​the so-called "third eye".

Bindi is a type of tilak.. It can be of different sizes, shapes (but most often round) and colors. The most traditional option is a round or drop-shaped dot of red or burgundy color.

In this speck on the forehead was originally invested deep meaning. Consider bindi interpretation options:

• In Tantrism, they believe that applying bindi to the area of ​​the "third eye" denotes hidden wisdom, as this area of ​​the forehead is the symbol of the "eye of Shiva" .
• Another interpretation, closely intersecting with the previous one. In the center of the forehead is the sixth chakra (Ajna), which contains all human experience.. According to Tantrism, when the thinking process takes place, the latent energy (kundalini) moves from the spine to the head, passing through the sixth chakra. Bindi is drawn in order to save this energy and accumulate wisdom.
• Bindi can also be translated as "full moon" or " full moon». This mark protects its owner from evil spirits and the evil eye. .
• Applying a red dot before, and today is the prerogative of a married woman. So she demonstrates her social status, and bindi is designed to give prosperity, happiness and peace in the family. If a woman is widowed, she does not wear bindi at all, thus showing that she no longer has a husband.
• In ancient times, it was even possible to judge caste affiliation by bindi. For instance, by the black dot on the woman's forehead, one could recognize her belonging to the kshatriyas, and by the red - to the brahmins.

Today applying bindi is not only a tradition, but also an original decoration . You can find points on the forehead and red, and yellow, and golden, and blue. Now there is no limit to fantasy.

If earlier bindi was applied with a special coloring mixture, today other options have been invented for fashionistas - colored henna with sparkles, pebbles, rhinestones, bright stickers, etc.

Features of applying sindoor

Drawing bindi on the forehead today can be done with a variety of colors and materials, but the traditional red dot is done by sindoor.

Everyone has some idea about war paint, but few people think that there was also a coloring for love. "It is written on the forehead" - this, perhaps, is still about bindi)) In ancient times, they liked to paint not only the face, but the whole body. And not only in India. Tattoos are generally a sacred thing (in the literal sense), every ancient person considered it his duty. The drawing on the body spoke a lot about the person, his status, tribe, geographical region, marital status, and so on.

India is one of the few places in the world that is unique in its kind - where many ancient traditions have survived to this day in their unchanged "preserved" form. And since, logically, all Indo-Europeans, including both Indians and you and me, had a common ancestral home and proto-language in the past, it is India that keeps the forgotten codes to the customs and mysteries of the past of the Indo-European tribes. So, it is quite possible that our ancestors also painted bindi and mehendi. What did bindi mean?

Chandan-bindi of a Bengali bride

HISTORY AND MEANING OF BINDI

Bindi is a dot on the forehead, which is drawn by women in India and some neighboring countries) is considered a variant of tilaka - signs that are applied to the face in India. There are a lot of varieties of tilaka, their symbolism depends on religious affiliation. Most often it is one or more vertical or horizontal stripes on the forehead of men. Sometimes this is a sign of tulsi, it includes both stripes and a bindi dot, about it a little lower. It seems to me that the roots of this symbolism are in the signs denoting the male and female principles.

Vishnu and Lakshmi

The tradition of decorating the bindi body probably goes back to ancient rituals of worshiping the Moon and the Sun.Bindi is mentioned in early Sanskrit texts.A red dot, symbolizing the rising sun, was applied to her forehead by Usha, the goddess of the morning in the Rig Veda, greeting her husband, the sun god Surya.Bindi is a sign of blessing and protection from evil forces, a symbol of purification and good luck. Therefore, the sacred symbol is applied to the body after the morning bath. Not only followers of Vedic culture or priests do this. Indian women draw and draw bindi every day in everyday life.Traditionally, bindi is applied with the tip of the finger, but women can also apply it with a stencil to get a perfect circle.

Bindi is used not only in India, but also in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. Regional variations include a crescent shape in Maharashtra, a large red dot in Bngalia, a small red dot surrounded by white in South India, and an elongated drop shape in Rajasthan.In southern India, bindi is also worn by unmarried girls.Women put on their foreheads a red sign in the form of a circle with a special powder or paste kum-kum, sindur, etc.Sometimes not only red is used, but also other colors, jewelry with precious stones can also be used.

The point located between the eyebrows falls on the zone of the "third eye" - the sixth chakra Ajna (the chakra of hidden wisdom). Followers of Hinduism and Buddhism, temple attendants put a ritual sign on their forehead - which is painted with red or yellow paint, depending on the symbol of a particular deity. These signs are a blessing, a happy wish, protect from evil forces and failures, or confirm the status of a person. For many married Indian women living in different regions, bindi and dyeing the parting red is a daily ritual associated with the status of a married woman and old family traditions.

The red bindi has always had the most significance due to its color. It well emphasizes the festive atmosphere, the importance of the moment. Its color also has a close connection with the mystical worldviews of the ancients - power was given to the color, its strong energy was seen and almost all peoples and tribes showed respect. However, there are places in India where black is equally significant and only married women are allowed to wear a black bindi.

Bindi in some regions may have their own symbols. Reds are worn only after marriage. Black was considered especially privileged and was intended only for holidays and important matters. As well as nails, and in ancient times even teeth, black was considered a sign of special status. The toenails of the Buddha himself, according to local beliefs, were painted black - for many Indians this is not only a beautiful, but also a sacred color. At the same time, women for family life in many regions they wore only a red bindi and changed to black if they became widows.

Lakshmi from here, artist Tina Solstrand

HOLY TULSIE TREE

Bindi is put in place of the symbolic third eye and for the initiates symbolizes the mystical union of male and female principles. The tattoo on the forehead in the form of "tulsi" is often combined with bindi - a bindi is drawn on the forehead under the sign of tulsi. This is more female sign, according to legend, a loving and devoted wife turns into a tulsi tree (Indian basil) standing near her lover's house to protect him and always be there.

Since then, this unremarkable and not even flowering plant has been considered sacred. It is grown in special beautiful stands in the center of the yard. Tulsi is dedicated to rituals of worship, local legends and holidays. Previously, a young wife was required to personally look after him every morning at her husband's house. The stand was whitewashed and the sacred signs of the swastika, Om and other religious symbols were painted. For Tulsi, special prayer mantras in Sanskrit were recited. The worship of Tulsi, as a ritual, appeared during the spread of Hinduism in India.

George Harrison with Vaishnava tulsi kanthimals

In Vaishnerism, Tulasi is worshiped as the incarnation of Lakshmi, in Krishnaism - Radha, who has taken the form of a plant. Beads are carved from tulasi branches - kanthimala, an attribute of Vaishnavas and a rosary of jala-mala (in Shaivism from rudraksha). Wearing a kanthimala around the neck is a sign of humble service to Vishnu or Krishna and that he is moving along the path of self-realization. Thanks to these beads, the human soul will not fall into the hellish worlds, the servants of the god of death Yama will not be able to touch it.

BINDI AND MODERNITY

This tradition is widespread even now, and, most likely, it will be preserved for hundreds of years, especially in the wedding ceremony, but in Lately corrections began to penetrate this tradition.Color, shape, bindi material are now used in a variety of ways. They are drawn with paints, pencils, powders - drawn bindis are more traditional than glued ones. Some traditions have been lost - for example, in ancient times, the position of the bindi on the face reflected caste: the lower the bindi, the lower the caste, but now they do not pay attention to this. Bindi is losing its sacred, mystical meaning, more and more experiencing the trends of Indian fashion and has penetrated into European culture. And the skillful use of bindi allows women to adjust facial features and eye color.

HOW TO CORRECT YOUR WEIGHT WITH BINDI

Indian women, unlike all other women in the world, have in their arsenal a simple and effective way to correct and give greater harmony to facial features. As you guessed, this is a bindi. For example, if the eyes are close or deep set, it is enough not to focus on the bridge of the nose - to correct the bridge of the nose, the bindi is simply raised to the middle of the forehead. With a low forehead, choose an average bindi size or draw an openwork or oval dot. Large size bindi will accentuate small or tired eyes. A large bindi will adorn the face of an elongated shape, with wide-spaced eyes, a high forehead and small plump lips.

A large bindi will add severity and extra age. In this case, a small or patterned bindi, light and elegant, is more suitable. A small bindi does not harmonize well with wide eyebrows; in this case, you can adjust the width of the eyebrows, at least from the bottom. Also use bindi with rhinestones or in the form of a drop. The moon is placed with the horns up, and not in the way it is seen in the northern countries. A circle, rhombus or drop is often placed above the moon. Bindi can have the most different forms. Modern bindi is perceived as a design element - bindicombined with the color of clothing, facial features and other decorations. Earrings, beads or other necklace, hair clips, makeup - everything should be in harmony.

TRADITIONS AND PROGRESS: WHEN TRADITIONS GO

In tradition, sometimes there are downsides. The world is developing, and in India there is still a caste system Hindus who travel and study in different countries of the world are, in most cases, brahmins. The rest, generation after generation, for thousands of years cannot go beyond the limits in which their ancestors were. The children of an Indian washerwoman are doomed to wash clothes generation after generation and have no chance of changing their lives. Our serfdom in comparison with these castes, they are just flowers. Indira Gandhi tried to abolish at least a small part of the caste laws, but as a result she was killed by Sikhs on October 31, 1984. In our country, this is All Saints' Day, and in many countries Halloween is celebrated on this day.

While the Indians themselves in a foreign land often stop wearing bindi - in many countries there has been a trend when many Europeans, on the contrary, begin to wear bindi all the time) Among famous women - Gwen Stefani, Shakira, Madonna and others

India has been of great interest to Europeans for many centuries, and not only because it is famous for its fabulous wealth, but also has a special culture and beautiful women, who traditionally decorate their foreheads with a spicy, spicy red dot called a bindi.

The historical roots of the origin of bindi

The exact date of the origin of the tradition of applying bindi is not known, but scientists are sure that a small red dot on the forehead of Indian women arose many millennia ago. Hinduism is based on Tantrism, a symbol of spiritual development and liberation, which occurs due to the opening of the sixth chakra, located on the forehead between the eyebrows.
By putting a red dot on her forehead, an Indian woman, as it were, reveals her energy capabilities and at the same time gains protection from evil forces. And considering the fact that for the first time the future husband inflicts bindi on a woman with his blood, this can be regarded as the imposition of family protection on the future wife and mother.

What does the dot on the forehead of Indian women mean?

Bindi has many names, it is tilaka, and kumkum, and bottu, but they all have the same meaning - this is the status of a married woman who professes Hinduism. Literally translated from Hindi, bindi or tilaka means a small dot or drop, but the main meaning of this traditional Indian women's jewelry is much wider.

Bindi is not only an ornament and a designation of status, it is, first of all, protection in a religious sense, from spirits, from dark thoughts and of course from the evil eye. Tilaka also means wisdom and life experience which manifests itself in difficult times. The basis for such a belief is God Shiva, who has the so-called “third eye” between his eyebrows.

What does a bindi look like?

Bindi is applied in the form of a small red dot of the correct rounded shape. Depending on the woman's place of residence, and her belonging to a particular caste, this symbol can be applied in another form, different in color and shape.

Women belonging to the Brahmin caste mostly depict the bindi in red, and the kshatriyas in black. The forehead of a woman who has visited the temple is adorned with an orange bindi, and a venerable widow wears a brown bindi.
course in currently, belonging to a certain caste in India is no longer so important, but Indians still observe traditions to this day, diluting them with modern motifs, which actually allows modern Indian women to use bindi as an ornament.

How is a bindi applied?

In order to apply a point between the eyebrows of the correct rounded shape, some skill is needed, which, of course, not everyone has, so many people first use a special device to apply bindi - a coin, with a neat rounded hole in the middle.

Different materials are used as paint for bindi, earlier it was cinnabar - mercury sulfide, now safer minerals and substances are used. Now turmeric mixed with honey or dye - abir with rice flour is used, as well as saffron, bull's blood and many other dyes with which you can apply bindi.

Given the trend of modernity, bindi is no longer only a symbol of an Indian woman, but also an ornament with which many, trying to emphasize their beauty, decorate their foreheads with a traditional red drop framed by shining stones.

The vast majority of mature Indian women walk with a scarlet dot in the middle of their foreheads. This sign symbolizes the confession of Hinduism by a woman and the fact that she is married.

Name

More often this mark is called bindi.

The bindi of Indian women is one of the types of the sacred symbol of tilak, applied to the bodies of Hindus in the form of decoration and a sign of adherence to religious teachings.

More often, bindi can be seen on the forehead of women, but it is also found in men.

The points on the foreheads of the inhabitants of India, depending on their adherence to one or another direction of Hinduism, vary in shape, size and raw materials used.

Meaning

The ritual of applying bindi to the face is several thousand years old.

According to legend, the dawn goddess Usha began to depict a miniature red circle on her forehead as a symbol of the rising daylight as a sign of greeting to her husband Surya, the god of the Sun.

According to another version, the red color symbolizes blood and sacrifices to the gods in the hope of their mercy.

A lot is said about tilak in folk legends and myths. For example, among brave heroes it burned with fire, and in moments of deep sorrow and despair it could spontaneously disappear.

The central part of the face above the bridge of the nose is considered to be the location of the ajna chakra, better known as the third eye. It is believed that through ajna a person loses valuable vital energy kundalini, and bindi blocks its evaporation, protecting its owner from the influence of evil forces and attracting good luck.

For a married woman, a red dot promises well-being and prosperity, and also reminds her of the sanctity of the marriage union.

In ancient times, girls, unmarried women and widows were only allowed to decorate themselves with black dots.

Raw material for bindi

The method of applying bindi is extremely simple: Indian women dip the tip of their finger into cinnabar and, having captured a little product, leave an imprint between their eyebrows.

Without certain skills, it is not always possible to apply a point evenly. In this case, improvised items will help out - metal circles or coins with a round hole.

Lead oxide, livestock blood and other natural dyes of a pronounced red hue are also suitable as raw materials for bindi.

Bindi today

Bindi has already lost its original sacred meaning. Women of different ages, marital status and religion, living in the countries of South and Southeast Asia, adorn their faces with dots of different sizes and colors.

Felt, plastic or metal tilaki stickers became very popular. The adhesive base does not cause difficulties in their application, and big choice allows you to change them at least every day.

Extravagant beauties prefer gilded or silver-plated bindi, decorated with sparkles, rhinestones, inlaid with precious stones.

In other countries, women with Indian roots or those who have decided to convert to Hinduism also adorn themselves with bindi.

Tilak is often seen as a style detail. At one time, many celebrities, far from India and Hinduism, appeared in public with a red dot between their eyebrows.