Bindi

A bindi (from Sanskrit bindú meaning "point, drop, dot or small particle") is a coloured dot or, in modern times, a sticker worn on the centre of the forehead, by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists from the Indian subcontinent. While there are regional variations, traditional bindis are red or maroon, made with material such as kumkum. A bindi is a bright dot of some colour applied in the centre of the forehead close to the eyebrows or in the middle of the forehead that is worn in the Indian subcontinent (particularly amongst female Hindus in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia among Balinese, Javanese, Sundanese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Visayan, Vietnamese, and Myanmar Hindus. A similar marking is also worn by babies and children in China and, as in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, represents the opening of the third eye. In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism the bindi is associated with the ajna chakra, and Bindu is known as the third eye chakra. Bindu is the point or dot around which the mandala is created, representing the universe. The bindi has a religious, historical and cultural presence in the region of India and with the Hindu, Indian diaspora around the world.