I know about the red dot on an Indian woman's forehead, but I have recently seen men with the red marking on their forehead, too, and understand this is called a 'Tilak'. But why would a man wear this mark?
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Name : Diane, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 50, City : Oviedo, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : secretary, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, In Hindu Spiruality the 6th sense or the thrid eye has an important role. The location of the 3rd eye in between the eyes where you see a tilak or a bindi. Having a tilak help you focus your energies though you also need tremendous mind control for that. That is why in ancient Hindu Custom Tilak is worn by most learned of people who have done meditation and penance for years.
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Name : DeshPutra, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Indian, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Alright well this will probably be more in depth than you had wanted but regarding dots there are several things that must be addressed: Indian women don't wear dots. Hindu women do. Remember that Indians can be Muslim, Christian, Hindu and many other religions (including Jewish). The dot that Hindu women wear is called a bindi and they don't have to be red. These days they come in various colors, shapes, and sizes. They can be bought as stickers or painted on. Bindi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bindu' or drop. Its orgin is a bit misty but there are several variations out there but some believe it represents your mystic third eye and is a central point of creation itself. Hindu Priests: Some sects of Hindu priests wear markings on their foreheads. You can tell what sect they belong to based on the markings on their foreheads. Tilak and Tika: I'm pretty sure that a tilak is the same thing as a tika. Tikas are given to both men and women for auspicious occasions or when they go to temple. For example, on Diwali [festival of lights] or before we got on a big trip where we're leaving family behind my mother, grandmother, whomever gives my brother and I [I'm a girl] tika. It's sort of a way to remember that God is with you and will protect you. The mark is made of a red powder mixed with water which is marked on the forehead with either the thumb or ring finger and then several grains of rice are placed on it.
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Name : Naeha20244, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Hindu, Age : 24, City : Detroit/NYC/Atlanta, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : law student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, Hi Diane, The dot on an Indian's forehead originates from Hindu mythology, symbolising the third eye of Lord Shiva. He is one of Gods in the Hindu theological trinity. (Bramha- Creator, Vishnu-Sustainer, Shiva-Destroyer). While it would be easier to see women wearing the 'Bindi' on a daily basis, men mostly reserve them for special occasions, especially religious ones. Modern interpretation has allowed the 'Bindi' to evolve into a designer accessory, worn by women of all religious orientations in India. The more traditional red smear at the hairline at the top of the forehead is a dead giveaway that the woman is married!
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Name : Anit Kurian, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Indian, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Abu Dhabi, State : NA Country : United Arab Emirates, Occupation : PR Executive, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, The red dot or 'bindi' is commonly found on an Indian woman's forehead and is more ornamental. The common explanation might be that a married woman wears one. You will find a lot of woman who are married who don't wear one. The 'tilak' on the other hand is more of a religious mark (and both men and women wear it). There is no single Hindu equivalent to a cross that a Christian might wear. The 'tilak' is worn (just before or) after a prayer. The 'tilak' on a woman's forehead might be shielded by the fact she already has a red 'bindi'. For example, if were to visit a Hindu temple and went upto the sanctum, you'd notice the priest apply the mark ('tilak') on everyone's forehead.
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Name : Srikant, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Indian, Religion : Hindu, Age : 33, City : Mountain View, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, As an Indian and am really impressed by the fact that u not only noticed this but want to find out some more about it. It's a refreshing change from some whites who have in fact asked me if I am Iraqi! (HINT: just coz we share the same skin tone doesn't mean we are from the same country!) To answer ur question, in Hinduism, we believe that one of our Gods, Lord Shiva possesses a third eye. This is located in the region between our eyebrows or a little above. If one is very traditional or religious, then that person puts on a black or white tilak or bindi. In some cases, the type of tilak even shows what brand of Hinduism u follow; this though is not always the case though. On a different track, some people believe that putting on a sandalwood tilak in summer, cools your body and use it for that reason. In India, the tilak is used by almost all women for its decorative value. Think of it as an extension of ur makeup. There are a variety of peel-off-and-stick tilaks that are available and one generally matches the color of ur clothes to the tilak or bindi that u wear. Finally to conclude, I have to tell u that even in India, most men do not wear tilaks. It is usually only the most traditional or religions men who do so.
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Name : Monica, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 29, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Good question. The traditional bindi, or tilak, is worn on the forehead between and slightly above the eyes. This is traditionaly viewed to be the 'seat of wisdom', and most likely a reference to the third eye. Hindu women usually wear this as a sign that they are married, like the Christian wedding ring. Until recently I had never seen this on a man, and still have not heard of it outside the US. I would assume that American Hindu men have started wearing the bindi to help differentiate themselves from the poor treatment that Muslims and other middle-easterners are facing in this post 9/11 society.
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Name : pjhoneycutt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 24, City : Evanston, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, As I understand it, in Hindu culture it represents the same thing as for women, that he's married. It's just that women are more likely to wear the dot more frequently to 'advertise' their marital status (and somewhat of a cultural 'requirement'), where as for men, it isn't as much of a 'requirement'. When men do wear it, it's usually during religious holidays.
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Name : Ray N. Grant, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Atheist, Age : 42, City : Minneapolis, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Software Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, You are right, it is called as Tilak. Tilak is originally a paste of Chandan wood, it is pasted on the 'Third eye', place above the eyes and centre of the forehead. In old days ( 200 years ago) it was wore by both men and women. But due to different religions migrated to India , mostly men gave-up the religious identity to get along with other folks and women continued to carry the tradition being stayed only in house. Now even many Indian women does not wear it in everyday life, but during the rituals everyone does it.
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Name : Rakesh, Race : Asian, City : Fairfax, State : VA Country : United States, My Indian co-worker gave me several reasons: For Hindus, the forehead spot is the focus of meditators where the five senses come together and sense God. Women have adopted this as makeup and to keep men's eyes focused there rather than their bodies.
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Name : Greg H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 52, City : Ann Arbor, State : MI Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, You are right that it is called tilak, which is different than the red dot worn by a woman. The red dot on a woman's forehead is called 'bindi' and signifies that she is married (only if red) and is a replacement for what is called kumkum, which was and still is a red line that many women apply to the part of their hair, also to signify that they are married. This kumkum tradition was also a replacement for an earlier tradition, in which when a warrior defeated other warriors for the hand of a lady, he would smear the blood of the defeated party on the part of her hair, to signify that he had won her as his wife. The tradition of the red dot is supposed to warn men not to cast lustful glances upon a married woman, which is a sure way for the married woman to cut down on unwanted come-ons. Tilak is altogether different. It has more to do with the spiritual school that one follows and can be worn by men or women. Some tilak is red, which normally indicates that the person is a worshipper of Shakti or Durga, the mother (demi-)goddess. Another form of tilak with 3 horizontal lines on the forehead made from sandalwood paste indicates that one is a worhsipper of Siva, one of the primary demigods of India. Another form of tilak is a U-shaped talk drawn between the brows, and includes an upside 'Ace of spades' shape on the nose. This indicates that one is a devotee of Lord Krishna, or God.
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Name : Ed-Keenan25542, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, I am told by my East Indian boyfriend that this represents and shows his respect for the Hindu religion & culture.
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Name : Denise H, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 38, City : Annapolis, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : Interior Designer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I think it has to do with religion - when a man goes to the temple to pray, sometimes the priest marks his forehead. Red is a holy color for the Hindus - brides wear it to get married in, for example. Widows wear white. Nowadays in India, you can get stick-on dots in a variety of colors and even with patterns to match your saris or dresses. Women wear the dots to signify they are married.
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Name : S-OHara29525, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Christian, Age : 37, City : Wichita Falls, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Writer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, I am not sure why a man would wear one, but I do know why the women do. When they get married the groom gets to scratch it off to see if he won a 7-11 or gas station.
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Name : MG22275, City : VISALIA, State : CA Country : United States, Men wear the 'enlongated dot' on their forehead. Tilak, or Bindi, the dots can mean many things and you'd have be specific about the tribe or the geographic area the person is from. Indians don't seem to take themselves too seriously though, so its rather 'optional'. Northern women use the dot to denote marriage. Its also become trendy for young girls to stick all kinds of shapes on their foreheads instead of the dot now. For many men, the 'dots' don't seem to be a fashion issue, so most do not use it, except during an actual wedding or other religious events. I've seen men use white, orange and red marks mostly during religious activities, as a sign of their faith (hindi).
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Name : Tom24090, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 30, City : Arbor, State : NA Country : Sweden, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
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