Sindoor
Red powder put in the parting of a married Hindu woman's hair, first applied by the groom at the wedding.
Also: sindur, vermilion
Sindoor is a bright red powder, traditionally made from turmeric and lime or from vermilion, which the groom applies along the parting of the bride's hair during the wedding. Married women in much of North and East India wear it afterwards, and widows traditionally stop. The custom is changing: some wives wear it only on festivals and some never. In Bengal, married women smear it on each other on the last day of Durga Puja in the rite called sindur khela.
Region: South Asia