Kumkuma

In India, it is known by many names including kuṅkumam (Sanskrit कुङ्कुमम्, Tamil குங்குமம், and Malayalam കുങ്കുമം), kumkuma (Telugu కుంకుమ), kukum (Konkani कुकूम्), kunku (Marathi कुंकू), kanku (Gujarati કંકુ), kumkum (Bengali কুমকুম and Hindi कुमकुम), and kunkuma (Kannada ಕುಂಕುಮ).

The reason involves the ancient Indian 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".

[1] The Swaminarayana tradition holds that the tilaka (yellow U-shaped mark) "is a symbol of the lotus feet of Paramatma," and the kumkuma "represents the bhakta" (devotee).

Men, women, girls, and boys also apply a dot on their forehead of red turmeric powder, when visiting a temple or during a pooja.