Kumkum
A red powder made from turmeric and lime, used for the bindi, tilak and sindoor.
Also: kumkuma, kunkuma
Kumkum is made by treating turmeric with slaked lime, which turns its yellow to deep red. It is applied with a fingertip as a dot or line on the forehead, offered in worship, and exchanged between married women at festivals and ceremonies in many parts of India. In South India it is often paired with turmeric and sandalwood. Commercial kumkum today may use other dyes.