Kumkum
Encyclopedia
Kumkum is a powder used for social and religious markings in Hinduism
. It is either made from turmeric
or saffron
. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color.
Vaisnavs- Followers of Visnu make use of “white clay to apply two vertical lines joined at the base and intersected by a bright red streak.” Many times the white clay is applied in a U-shape.
Swaminarayan- Followers of the Swaminarayan movement apply kumkum at the center of the forehead and in between a U-shaped tilaka. The tilaka is normally yellow in hue and made from sandalwood.
s (in case of a young girl) to offer kumkum to them when they leave. However, it is not offered to widows. When visiting a Hindu temple, married women from southern India usually dip their ring finger in yellow turmeric powder, and apply a dot on their neck. Men, women, girls, and boys apply a dot on their forehead of red turmeric powder, also when visiting a temple or during a pooja. In most of India, everyday, married women apply red kumkum in front of their parting on their forehead as a symbol of marriage. This is called vermilion, or in Hindi, sindoor
. Kumkum in temples is found in heaps. People dip their thumb into the heap and apply it on the forehead or between the eyebrows.
. The plant has many names in Sanskrit
: Ghusrun, Rakta, Kashmir, Balhik, Kesar, Kashmiraj, Kumkum, Agneeshekhar, Asrugvar, Shatha, Shonit, Pitaka, or Rudhir. The saffron contains a dye consisting of 8 to 13.4% of the volatile oils crocin
and picrococin.
goddesses, especially Shakti
and Lakshmi
, and a kumkum powder is thrown (along with other mixtures) into the air during Holi
(the Festival of Colours), a popular Hindu spring festival.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. It is either made from turmeric
Turmeric
Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...
or saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color.
Application of Kumkum
Kumkum is most often applied by Hindus to the forehead. The reason for this particular location has to do with the ancient Hindu belief that “the human body is divided into seven vortices of energy, called chakras, beginning at the base of the spine and ending at the top of the head. The sixth chakra, also known as the third eye, is centered in the forehead directly between the eyebrows and is believed to be the channel through which humankind opens spiritually to the Divine”. Thus the kumkum is placed at the location of the body which is believed by Hindus to be the most holy.Common Forehead Marks Using Kumkum
Saivites- Followers of Siva usually apply three white horizontal lines with a dot of kumkum at the center.Vaisnavs- Followers of Visnu make use of “white clay to apply two vertical lines joined at the base and intersected by a bright red streak.” Many times the white clay is applied in a U-shape.
Swaminarayan- Followers of the Swaminarayan movement apply kumkum at the center of the forehead and in between a U-shaped tilaka. The tilaka is normally yellow in hue and made from sandalwood.
Significance of Kumkum
In the Vaisnav tradition, the “white lines represent the footprint of their God, while the red refers to his consort, Lakshmi”. The Swaminarayan tradition holds that the tilaka (yellow U-shaped mark) “is a symbol of the lotus feet of Paramatma” and the kumkum “represents the bhakta” (devotee). In both of these traditions, the forehead mark serves as a reminder that a devotee of God should always remain as a servant at the feet of God.Kumkum and Women
When a girl or a married woman visits a house, it is a sign of respect (in case of an elderly lady) or blessingBlessing
A blessing, is the infusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, divine will, or one's hope or approval.- Etymology and Germanic paganism :...
s (in case of a young girl) to offer kumkum to them when they leave. However, it is not offered to widows. When visiting a Hindu temple, married women from southern India usually dip their ring finger in yellow turmeric powder, and apply a dot on their neck. Men, women, girls, and boys apply a dot on their forehead of red turmeric powder, also when visiting a temple or during a pooja. In most of India, everyday, married women apply red kumkum in front of their parting on their forehead as a symbol of marriage. This is called vermilion, or in Hindi, sindoor
Sindoor
Sindoor is a traditional red or orange-red colored cosmetic powder from the Indian subcontinent, usually worn by married women along the parting of their hair. Usage of sindoor denotes that a woman is married in many Hindu communities, and ceasing to wear it usually implies widowhood...
. Kumkum in temples is found in heaps. People dip their thumb into the heap and apply it on the forehead or between the eyebrows.
Making Kumkum
Saffron for kumkum is made from the flower Crocus sativus, in the family IridaceaeIridaceae
The Iris family or Iridaceae is a family of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants included in the monocot order Asparagales, taking its name from the genus Iris. Almost worldwide in distribution and one of the most important families in horticulture, it includes more than 2000 species...
. The plant has many names in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
: Ghusrun, Rakta, Kashmir, Balhik, Kesar, Kashmiraj, Kumkum, Agneeshekhar, Asrugvar, Shatha, Shonit, Pitaka, or Rudhir. The saffron contains a dye consisting of 8 to 13.4% of the volatile oils crocin
Crocin
Crocin is a natural carotenoid chemical compound that is found in the flowers crocus and gardenia. It is the diester formed from the disaccharide gentiobiose and the dicarboxylic acid crocetin. It has a deep red color and forms crystals with a melting point of 186 °C...
and picrococin.
Other Usages
Kumkum is also widely used for worshiping the HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
goddesses, especially Shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
and Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
, and a kumkum powder is thrown (along with other mixtures) into the air during Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
(the Festival of Colours), a popular Hindu spring festival.