Urdhvapundra

Name denoting the characteristic forehead mark (tika) worn by the ascetic
devotees (bhakta) of the god Vishnu.
The urdhvapundra’s basic pattern is
made of three vertical lines, in contrast
to the three horizontal lines worn by the
Sanyasis, who are devotees of Shiva.
There are many variations in the design,
and many different materials can be
used: sandalwood paste, white clay, yellow clay, and red vermilion. The only
thing that is never used is the sacred ash
(vibhuti) characteristic of the Sanyasis.
The design and materials used for the
urdhvapundra are quite distinctive
among various Vaishnava ascetic communities, and from this, one can easily
identify a particular ascetic’s affiliation.
For further information see A. W.
Entwistle, “Vaishnava Tilakas—
Sectarian Marks Worn by Worshipers of
Visnu,” IAVRI-Bulletin 11 and 12, 1982.