Kumkum

Kumkum (Sanskrit कुङ्कुमम् kuṅkumam, Marathi कुंकू kunku, Bengali কুমকুম kumkum Tamil குங்குமம் kunkumam, Telugu కుంకుమ kumkuma, Kannada ಕುಂಕುಮ Kumkuma, Malayalam കുങ്കുമം Kungkumam), is a powder used for social and religious markings in Hinduism. It is either made from turmeric or saffron. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color.