Sindoor (vermilion powder) has a very high cultural value in Hindu society. It is wear by women on partition of their hair. It is only worn by married woman that indicates she is a wife of someone to other men.
Sindoor is first put by her husband on her forehead during marriage and later she put herself to show that she is married. In ancient times wearing sindoor was necessity for the women to be a good wife in the household otherwise society would do back biting or boycott them from the society.
Women wear sindoor to respect their husband regarding marriage and avoiding despicable judgments from the society.
Ancient scriptures suggests to wear sindoor as it has medicinal properties like boosting fertility stimulating reproductive organ, keeping blood pressure and stress under control as it consists of mercury, lime and alum.
Even the Goddess sita puts sindoor on her forehead to show that she is in the sacred union or married to God Ram in the Ramayana, Radha has also applied sindoor on her forehead for Shree Krishna and similarly a goddess Lakshmi has adorned her forehead for Lord Vishnu.
That’s why it is so important for women to adorn her forehead after marriage in Hindu culture.
As time passed coming to the 21st century a cultural value of sindoor has evolved so much and it is losing its relevancy as feminist has regarded as it is the patriarchal.
Modern women have changed view than the women from ancient times. They feel that wearing sindoor is their choice to decide because they are wearing on their body.
Previously women used to make partition of hair straightly and put sindoor on the line but nowadays women make partition of hair whatever style they want and put a pint of sindoor on it. It has become fashion rather than having a cultural value.
No matter how modern times get, people believe that women are married if they wear sindoor. It cannot be wear by widow. After a demise of husband, a woman has to wipe her sindoor and break her bangles.
In Rural areas still the people follow this rituals strictly. Thought it gets modernize still people know the cultural value of it.
By Sanam Gurung