Kumkum
A red powder used in Hindu worship and for marks on the forehead.
Also: kumkuma, kunku, roli
Kumkum is the red powder offered to deities and placed on the forehead of worshippers and guests. It is traditionally made by treating turmeric with slaked lime, which turns the yellow to a deep red. A dot of it between the eyebrows may be worn daily or given at the end of a prayer. In South India and Maharashtra, married women exchange turmeric and kumkum at a social ceremony of welcome and blessing. The word is sometimes also used for saffron, the costly spice.