Faces of India – 41 Vaishnavite with Urdhva Pundra
He is a Vaishnavite, a follower of Lord Vishnu. The markings on his forehead indicates his faith. He is a pujari in a temple in Melkote, Karnataka. The tilak is called Urdhva Pundra. It is part of the Vaishnava tradition. Devotees believe it represents Bhagwan Vishnu and his divine consort, Lakshmi.
The Vasudeva Upanishad, a Vaishnava tradition text, explains the significance of three vertical lines in Urdhva Pundra in different ways.
- The tilaka is said to be a reminder of the Vedic scriptures – Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda.
- It also represents three worlds Bhu, Bhuva, Svar;
- the three phones of Om – A, U, M.
- Add to that, the three states of consciousness – awake, dream sleep, deep sleep, the three realities – Maya, Brahman and Atman
- and the three bodies – Sthula, Sukshma, and Karana
See a Shaivite with different religious forehead marking here: Faces of India 352
Faces of India
a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. I bring back souvenirs, frozen moments from my travels, why not some memories of people I have met and interacted during the travels. Faces of India is a weekly series in my blog since MARCH 2011. See more here…
Vaishnavite with Urdhva Pundra on forehead
Looks like he has inner peace.
What a lovely gentle face!
Face 2012
:)))))
about ……95 MIN
than will start 2012 in Bangalore
Enjoy and Happy New Year :))
Hugs 🙂
A magnificent portrait with that beautiful smile and expressive eyes. I wish you health and happiness.
nice capture
What interesting adornment!
Hugs
SueAnn
Great portait, Indrani! he does ook ahppy! I wish you all th best in 2012, Happy New Year!
A happy person he is.Really good photograph.
Very expressive face
Nice capture . There is a wonderful glow in the face .
That's a wonderful enlightening & illuminating face.
I do so agree with Sandy! Wonderful eyes and face and so much joy! Thanks as always, Indrani, for the beauty you share! Have a wonderful and very Happy New Year!
Sylvia
The joy in his face is delightful.