Tilakas I – Thomas Kelly

The colors used for the sectarian mark of Vaishnava ascetics are yellow, red, black, white with red. These are made from Gopi Chandan clay often brought from a sacred place or a pilgrim site, made of sandalwood ground into paste. Sectarian tilakas, forehead markings vary from sects to sect. The U-shaped white line between the eyes up to the meeting point of the eye-brows is symbolic of the red-white sole of the right foot of Lord Vishnu resting on a lotus, are worn by the Badgals and Acharis. The Tengal sectarians draw a trident. The two prongs are painted with white earth. The center line is red, representing Lakshmi, consort of Vishnu. The white line drawn over the nose represents a lotus.

Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal.