The forehead dot and the red pigment traditionally worn along a woman's hair-parting — two related but distinct marks, one devotional, the other historically signaling marital status.
धारण · Dharan
A bindi, traditionally a red kumkum dot at the point associated with the ajna chakra, is worn by women across sect and, today, often simply as adornment rather than a strictly religious marker; sindoor, by contrast, is a red or vermilion powder applied along the parting of the hair specifically after marriage, in a ceremony that is itself part of the wedding rite.
Both practices vary considerably by region and community, and their use has loosened over recent generations from strict rule to personal choice for many women, even as they remain widely recognized symbols within the broader tradition.