Women and tilaka

[Harinama]

Now, this question I could not be satisfactorily answered with.

It is well known that in the Gaudiya Vaishnava movement, both women and men wear the urdhva-paundra tilaka. However, I found that this seems to be the only sampradaya with this exception; otherwise, in all other Vaishnava groups, women do not wear urdhva-paundra, but rather a bindu for marriage.

I am not aware of any women wearing the tripundra ash.

Why is urdhva-pundra or tripundra forbidden or not practiced by women? Is it because in old times, a woman did not take diksha or have brahminical thread, and thus served her husband as a guru? Or is it that this women wearing urdhva-pundra tilaka a novelty in the Gaudiya lineage?

I see in pictures many beautiful Manipuri women sporting tilaka, and Manipur contains alot of Gaudiya Vaishnavas. No other pictures of Indians have I seen the women wear such.



A beautiful Manipuri Vaishnavi!

[Water]

I have seen pictures and video of women wearing tripundra ash.

You can see one in this rendering of the Hanuman Chalisa. This is the first thing I thought of when I read your post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzVBd...2E6E122E570FEE

The Wikipedia page features a woman -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripundra

Although, I'm not sure the context of the image on Wikipedia. Isn't it true that women dancers will often depict both male and female roles? For example, Krishna is played by a female in the dances that I have seen in person. Perhaps in that same context the woman on the Wikipedia link is wearing tripundra..... I don't know.

The little information I can find on Veerashaiva's sometimes feature women with tripundra, as well. As I understand (very little) of the Veerashaiva traditions, there is nothing that women can not also do that men do. In contrast to other sampradayas that do not have this gender equality.

I look forward to reading other contributions to the topic!

Thanks for asking the question.

[PARAM]

Using tilak is (and was) never prohibited for women. Using bindi or tilak is there personal choice, not forced to them.

[Harinama]

Originally Posted by PARAM

Using tilak is (and was) never prohibited for women. Using bindi or tilak is there personal choice, not forced to them.

So then why is it that women have never been depicted with urdhva-pundra or tripundra, except in the case of Gaudiya Vaishnavas, Virashaivas, and classical dancing?

[Harinama]

Originally Posted by Water

I have seen pictures and video of women wearing tripundra ash.

You can see one in this rendering of the Hanuman Chalisa. This is the first thing I thought of when I read your post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzVBd...2E6E122E570FEE

The Wikipedia page features a woman -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripundra

Although, I'm not sure the context of the image on Wikipedia. Isn't it true that women dancers will often depict both male and female roles? For example, Krishna is played by a female in the dances that I have seen in person. Perhaps in that same context the woman on the Wikipedia link is wearing tripundra..... I don't know.

The little information I can find on Veerashaiva's sometimes feature women with tripundra, as well. As I understand (very little) of the Veerashaiva traditions, there is nothing that women can not also do that men do. In contrast to other sampradayas that do not have this gender equality.

I look forward to reading other contributions to the topic!

Thanks for asking the question.

Hah, when I saw that woman with gigantic tripundra, it was awe-inspiring and lawl at the same time! XD

But yes, otherwise such wearing of Vaishnava or Shaiva tilaka are adorned on dancers, since they depict both male and female roles in classical dance.

This is a Virashaiva girl... I think she looks beautiful with her tripundra on her head!



And yet it is very rare that I have seen any Shaiva Siddhanta women or Sri Vaishnavis who bear the 'sectarian' marks of their respective religions. When women place the lotus feet of Vishnu upon their heads (urdhva pundra, or U-shape), it is a mark of beauty and ornamentation, with no need of other forms of beauty.

In many of ISKCON's paintings, to reinforce that women are also devotees of the Supreme, their pictures have women such as Devahuti and Queen Kunti bearing the auspicious marking of the Lord upon their bodies.


Queen Kunti

[Arjunī]

Namasté, all,

This is an interesting question. I've never run across any prohibitions against women wearing the tripundra, but I've almost never seen it, either. In modern times maybe it's just a simple aesthetic choice; maybe women just prefer the simple bindi (and intact face makeup...) to the forehead-ash. But even in serials and films in which Devas and Devis are depicted, I never see women with the tripundra. Hmmmm.

This excerpt from the Devi Bhagavatam is a lengthy section on the greatness of bhasma and the tripundra, without restrictions on its use. (Summary for those who don't want to read the whole thing: "Bhasma/tripundra good. Everybody should wear it.")

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[Harinama]

Originally Posted by Indraneela

Namasté, all,

This is an interesting question. I've never run across any prohibitions against women wearing the tripundra, but I've almost never seen it, either. In modern times maybe it's just a simple aesthetic choice; maybe women just prefer the simple bindi (and intact face makeup...) to the forehead-ash. But even in serials and films in which Devas and Devis are depicted, I never see women with the tripundra. Hmmmm.

This excerpt from the Devi Bhagavatam is a lengthy section on the greatness of bhasma and the tripundra, without restrictions on its use. (Summary for those who don't want to read the whole thing: "Bhasma/tripundra good. Everybody should wear it.")

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

Thank you for that, Indraneela. It came to my attention and wonderment that since the Virashaivas do have their women wearing tripundra, what's stopping the rest of Shaiva Dharma? And I ask the same likewise for the rest of Vaishnavism from the example of Gaudiya urdhva-pundra.

I tried googling and the closest I got was this, which wasn't much help in the first place. Also this for Vaishnavas, which supports the wearing of urdhva-pundra.

[saidevo]

namaste.

I came across these two links on the subject, which could be useful (I haven't read them):
http://tilaka.co.tv/
http://www.bhujmandir.org/library/sc...37;20Rites.pdf

[Harinama]

Thank you for the two links. I could not access the first, but I skimmed through the second.

Swaminarayanis have to say this about women and urdhva-pundra:

"In the Shikshapatri (Swaminarayani shastra), Lord Swaminarayan states that 'All my male followers shall adorn the urdhva-pundra tilaka,' a chandlo on the forehead with a round mark at the centre. Married women shall wear only a red round mark on the forehead applied with kumkum. Widows shall however abstain from marking their foreheads with either urdhva-pundra mark or red mark with kumkum."

:/ So women are to only wear red kumkuma, and are not allowed to bear urdhva-pundra.

[PARAM]

Originally Posted by Harinama

So then why is it that women have never been depicted with urdhva-pundra or tripundra, except in the case of Gaudiya Vaishnavas, Virashaivas, and classical dancing?

Even I never use such tilak, so what can I say. As others have also provided some information, so it may be helpful.