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Sadhus: The Great Renouncers

15. TILAKAS
Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal
TILAKAS

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 sandal (santalum) wood ground into paste. Sectarian tilakas, forehead markings vary from sects to sect. The U-shaped white line between the eyes upto 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.



all text & images © Thomas L. Kelly
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