Bindi (decoration)
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A bindi (which means "dot" in Hindi) is a forehead decoration worn in South and Southeast Asia. It can also be called a pottu or a tilak.
Married Hindu women traditionally wear a bindi on their foreheads. The traditional bindi is made with red sindoor powder or perhaps a black ointment. It is applied over the forehead chakra, a center of bodily and spiritual energy in Hindu belief. The bindi is believed to prevent the loss of "energy", as well as bringing spiritual protection against demons or bad luck. See tilak for further discussion of the spiritual meaning of the bindi.
In the contemporary age, the bindi has become a decorative item and is worn by unmarried as well as non-Hindu women, in India, Bangladesh and other countries of South Asia. It is no longer restricted in colour or shape. Self-adhesive bindis made from felt in various designs and colours are now available.
Outside South Asia, bindis may be worn by women of the South Asian diaspora. Some Westerners who have converted to Hindu sects like the Hare Krishna may wear bindis. Sometimes they are worn as a style statement. Pop singer Gwen Stefani wears bindis.
The bindi is often associated with women, but in fact it can be worn, either by itself or as part of a more elaborate caste-mark (naamam) by tradition-minded Hindu men.
See also
- Tilak
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