Sindoor is an orange/red colored powder used by the Hindu community for religious and cultural purposes. Married women may wear sindoor in the part of their hair to indicate marriage status. Women may also w ear sindoor as a dot or “bindi” on their foreheadsfor cosmetic purposes, or, along with men, may wear it for religious purposes. The red colour is connected with rajas, one of the three constituents of prakriti (nature) that is sattva, rajas and tamas. These three constituents of prakriti represent goodness, passion and darkness. Each of these is represented by a colour. White colour is for goodness, red is for passion and black is for darkness and ignorance. These three constituents of prakriti are described in Sankhya philosophy of Hindu religion. The red colour of bindi or sindoor represents the passionate aspect of prakriti. The red implies also love, fertility and strength. Sindoor (vermilion) is sublimed mercuric sulfide and is a brilliant red pigment.
Bindi originally is a round mark on the foreheads of Hindu females. Bindi is derived from the Sanskrit word bindu meaning dot or drop. Making a mark on the forehead is a very old tradition among Hindu men and women. The old name for this mark is tilaka. Tilaka is made with coloured earth, ashes of yajna (the fire offering), sandalwood paste or unguent. The term tika or tikka is a distorted form of the term tilaka. The positioning of the bindi in between the eyes is significant. According to the Indian sages, the area between the eyebrows is the seat of latent wisdom. This point between the eyes, known by various names such as Ajna Chakra, Spiritual Eye, and Third Eye, is said to be the major nerve center in the uman body. In the Kundalini yoga and Tantric tradition during meditation, the "kundalini" - the latent energy that lies at the base of the spine is awakened and rises to the point of sahasrara (7th chakra) situated in the head or brain. The central point, the bindu, becomes therefore a possible outlet for this potent energy.
Gulal also known as Abeer is the traditional name given to the coloured powders used for the typical Hindu rituals, in particular for the Holi festival. During this festival, which celebrates love and equality, people throw these powder solutions at each other while singing and dancing. Abeer' is made of small crystals or paper like chips of mica. This is usually mixed with the gulal to give it a rich shine. These colors can be used dry, or mixed with water. Colored powder (Gulal) is bought and prepared, long syringes called 'pichkaris' are made ready and water balloons are bought and filled. Gulal powder has always had an important role in Hindu culture and has always been used for religious purposes.