Sindoor

Sindooram (in Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Oriya, or Sindoor in Hindustani: सिन्दूर, سندور, Bengali: সিঁদুর and Gujarati: સિંદૂર) is a traditional red or orange-red colored cosmetic powder from India, usually worn by married women along the parting of their hair. Use of sindooram denotes that a woman is married in many Hindu communities, and ceasing to wear it usually implies widowhood. The main component of modern sindooram is usually vermilion. Traditionally, Sindooram is made from Bixa orellana pods, but commercial sindooram contain synthetic dyes and chemicals like Vermilion containing mercury and lead.