Vibhuti

In Hinduism, vibhuti (Sanskrit: विभूति, romanized: vibhūti), also called bhasmam or tirunīru, is sacred ash made of burnt dried wood, burnt cow dung and/or cremated bodies used in Agamic rituals.

[1] Devotees of Shiva apply vibhuti traditionally as three horizontal lines across the forehead (also known as tripundra) and other parts of the body.

According to the Shiva Purana, the particles of ash which cling to the skin when Tripundra is applied are to be considered to be individual lingams.

[3] Vaishnava theology describes a vibhuti as 'incarnation of power', a temporary occasional manifestation such as when holy men are infused with divine virtues and qualities are infused.

[4] Sri Aurobindo mentions a vibhuti as "the hero of a race's struggle towards divine achievement, the hero in the Carlylean sense of heroism, a power of God in man.