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Sindoor (, ) or sindura (,) is a traditional vermilion red or orange-red or maroon Cosmetics powder from South Asia, usually worn by marriage women along the part of their hairline. In Hindu communities, the sindoor is considered auspicious and is a visual marker of marital status of a woman and ceasing to wear it usually implies widowhood. Traditional sindoor was made with turmeric and alum or calcium oxide, or from other herbal ingredients. Unlike red lead and vermilion, these are not poisonous. Some commercial sindoor products contain synthetic ingredients, some of which are not manufactured to proper standards and may contain lead.
The sindoor is first applied to the woman by her husband on the day of her wedding; this is called the Sindoor Danam ceremony. After this, she applies it herself every day.
A similar colouring ritual is known as pasupu kumkuma, named after another name for sindoor, kumkuma.
The wiping off of the sindoor is very significant for a widow. There are many rituals associated with this practice. The most common is when a mother-in-law or older sister-in-law wipes off the sindoor when a woman becomes a widow. The widow will break her bangles and remove her bindi as well, and many will also remove their nose ring and toe rings. The parting of hair is symbolic of a river of red blood full of life. When the sindoor is removed then the river becomes barren, dry and empty. This custom is prevalent in rural areas and is followed by all castes and social ranks.
The red sindoor is significant for the married woman as she is full of colour. When she becomes a widow she adopts plain white dress and removes all colour from her face including the bright red sindoor.
Methods and styles of applying the sindoor vary from personal choice to regional customs. Most new brides part their hair in the middle and fill it with sindoor, while other married women may just apply a red spot at the end of the hair line and forehead. Recently, a triangle shape on the forehead pointing towards the nose, with a diamond bindi for fashion, is being worn by younger women. Fashion that defies customs The Times of India- V Lakshmi -8 January 2015,
Adi Shankaracharya writes in Soundarya Lahari:http://www.sankaracharya.org/soundarya_lahari.php Soundarya Lahari translated by P. R. Ramachander
Jainism women apply the sindoor, mostly in the cities. Jain nuns are forbidden to apply this to their hair line or foreheads. The display of the sindoor is considered very important to indicate the married status of the groom, whereas in several local cultures, sindoor is applied on their hair partings by unmarried women.
In 2025, India responded to the Pahalgam attack by launching missile strikes at Pakistan. In reference to the deaths of male Hindu tourists in the Pahalgam attack, the missile strikes were codenamed Operation Sindoor.
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