A vermilion dot on the forehead is one of India’s most widely accepted Hindu ...

But at the festival, where millions are flocking to pray and bathe at the confluence of India’s holy rivers, it morphs into a major display of Hinduism ... he is the god of the three worlds ...

Sacred Strokes of Color on Foreheads Are a Major Display of Hinduism at India’s Maha ... “Because he is the god of the three worlds,” Chauhan says, referring to the deity's association ...