<P> A bindi (Hindi: बिंदी, from Sanskrit bindu, meaning "point, drop, dot or small particle") is a colored dot worn on the centre of the forehead, commonly by Hindu and Jain women . The word bindu dates back to the hymn of creation known as Nasadiya Sukta in the Rigveda . Bindu is considered the point at which creation begins and may become unity . It is also described as "the sacred symbol of the cosmos in its unmanifested state". A bindi is a bright dot of some colour applied in the centre of the forehead close to the eyebrows worn in South Asia (particularly amongst Hindus in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia among Balinese, Javanese, Malaysian, Singaporean and Burmese Hindus . A similar marking is also worn by babies and children in China and, like in South and Southeast Asia, represents the opening of the third eye . Bindi in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism is associated with ajna chakra, and Bindu is known as the third eye chakra . Bindu is the point or dot around which the mandala is created, representing the universe . The bindi has a historical and cultural presence in the region of Greater India . </P> <P> Traditionally, the area between the eyebrows (where the bindi is placed) is said to be the sixth chakra, ajna, the seat of "concealed wisdom". The bindi is said to retain energy and strengthen concentration . The bindi also represents the third eye . The Nasadiya Sukta of the Rig Veda, the earliest known Sanskrit text, mentions the word Bindu . </P>

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