# Red Dot and Orange Lines on the Forehead?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-dot-and-orange-lines-on-the-forehead/52491>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 31, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-dot-and-orange-lines-on-the-forehead/52491 "2001-01-31T01:22:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-dot-and-orange-lines-on-the-forehead/52491/1 "2001-01-31T01:22:58Z")

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I met a guy today who had a red dot and orange lines on his forehead.

He was (apparently) Indian. The red dot was different than the dots I have seen on Indian women. It was larger, and it was smack in the middle of the forehead (not between the eyebrows). On either side of the dot were vertical orange lines running from the hairline to the eyebrows.

Does anybody know what the red dot and orange lines signify?

Thanks in advance.

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-dot-and-orange-lines-on-the-forehead/52491/2 "2001-01-31T02:39:59Z")

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All I can find is this.  
[http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/4/0,5716,74364+1,00.html](http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/4/0,5716,74364+1,00.html)

> [@](#):
>
> tilak  
> Sanskrit TILAKA (“mark”), in Hinduism, a mark generally made on the forehead, indicating a man’s sectarian affiliation. The marks are made by hand or with a metal stamp, using ash from a sacrificial fire, sandalwood paste, turmeric, cow dung, clay, charcoal, or red lead. Among some cults the mark is made on 2, 5, 12, or 32 parts of the body as well as on the forehead. Among Saivas (followers of Siva), the tilak usually takes the form of three horizontal parallel lines across the forehead, with or without a red dot. Sometimes a crescent moon or trident denotes a Saiva. Among Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu), the many tilak variations follow a general pattern of two or more vertical lines resembling the letter U and representing the foot of Vishnu, with or without a central line or dot.