Kum Kum powder from Mysore, India.

Kumkum (Sanskrit कुङ्कुमम् kuṅkumam, Marathi कुंकू kunku, Bengali কুমকুম kumkum Tamil குங்குமம்^[1] kunkumam, Telugu కుంకుమ kumkuma, Kannada ಕುಂಕುಮ Kumkuma, Malayalam കുങ്കുമം Kungkumam), 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.

Application of kumkum[link]

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”.^[2] 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[link]

Saivites- Followers of Siva usually apply three white horizontal lines with a dot of kumkum at the center.^[2]

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.^[2]

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 and made from sandalwood.^[3]

Significance of kumkum[link]

In the Vaisnav tradition, the “white lines represent the footprint of their God, while the red refers to his consort, Lakshmi”.^[2] 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).^[3] 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[link]

Women wearing Sindoor

When a girl or a married woman visits a house, it is a sign of respect (in case of an elderly lady) or blessings (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.

Making kumkum[link]

Saffron for kumkum is made from the flower Crocus sativus, in the family Iridaceae. 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.

Other usages[link]

Holi celebrations, Pushkar, Rajasthan.

Kumkum is also widely used for worshiping the Hindu 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.

See also[link]

• Bindi (decoration)
• Bindu
• Tilaka

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kumkum

• Kumkum 2008
• A kumkum recall in the U.S., Jan. 16, 2008