The first kind of Tilaka is worn by people who follow Vishnu. It is made of gopi Chandan and has straight lines that look like the letter “U.” This Tilak looks like the foot of Lord Vishnu. There might be a line in the middle, but that’s not always the case.

 Brahma tilak worn by Gopichandana, which you can get from Dwarka, can be used in the Madva Sampradaya to draw two vertical lines that look like the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. You can make a black line between these two vertical lines with the coal ashes left over from the Yajnas.

 People who follow Shiva use a different kind of Tilak. You will see Tripundra, which is three horizontal lines. People say that Shiva loves the Holy Ash or Bhasma used to make this Tilak. Some of the lines have a red dot, but not all of them do.

 Bindi As was already said, women wear different kinds of Tilakas, too. In India, for example, most married women wear a dot on their faces to show that they are married.

 Kumara Sampradaya Here, Gopichandana is used for making the tilak. You can start at the bridge of your nose and draw two vertical lines that meet in the middle of your forehead to make a U shape.

  Shakti Tilak People who follow Shakti wear a Kumkum dot on their foreheads. This dot represents Devi Parvati’s strong force.

 Sri Sampradaya Here, you can use the white mud from the anthills to make two lines. You can also use the dirt at the bottom of a tulsi plant.

  Raj Tilak & Veer Tilak There are also Raj Tilak and Vir Tilak, different types of tilak. During the time of Rajyabhishek, Raj Tilak is a part of the event where a new king is crowned. The name “Vir Tilak” was used to describe brave people or to help people do well at any job. Hindu beliefs say that Tilaka is put on before starting something new as a sign of good luck.