The Sindoor is considered auspicious, it symbolizes the love and devotion of wives for their husbands the red color represents Shakti -power fertility, purity. Red is associated with Goddess Durga. It is believed that Sindoor  is Shiva’s favorite color and those who put Sindoor on their forehead are granted a happy married  life.

 In  Manusmriti the father protects his daughter in her childhood after her marriage in youth it is the husband who is her protector. In Hindu Dharma the husband is not just her protector and provider he is her emotional support her life partner. So, women pray for their husband’s longevity and good health by fasting, praying and through rituals. Bharat has a colorful cultural diversity. Hindu women in different states have different ways of performing Pooja for the longevity and good health of their husbands.

In North Bharat it is Karva Chauth vrat. Women fast the whole day and then look at the Moon who is considered a caring deity   and then look at their husbands through a sieve to filter out negative energies and pray for their long life and a happy married life . During Karva Chauth  vrat it is the wife who applies vermillion Sindoor on her own forehead as a prayer for her husband’s well-being .

 In Southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh and Telegana  it is Varalakshmi Vartham  where married women worship goddess Varalakshmi and ask her to grant them the Var or boon for the longevity of their husbands. The festival is observed on a Friday before full Moon in  Shravan.Married  women visit each other’s homes exchange gifts of bangles coconuts, flowers and sweets. They fast and chant mantras for the prosperity and long life of their husbands.

In Bengal, it is Sindoor Khela   meaning the ‘’vermillion game’’ where married women apply Sindoor on each other’s forehead on and feet on Vijya Dashmi Day and pray for the longevity of their husbands before bidding farewell to goddess Durga.

  Vatta  Purnima is celebrated In Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha

and other parts of the country. The festival evolves round the story of Savitri who saved her husband from YAMA -the God of death by her wisdom and determination. Married women fast the whole day and perform puja under the Vat Banyan tree and offer prayers to Devi Savitri and Bhagavan Vishnu. The   Sindoor and  suhaag  are sacred for Hindu married women, suhaag  refers to the auspicious state of a woman whose husband is alive. The retaliation to Pakistan’s attack on Pahalgam was rightly named sindoor operation to pay homage to our brave soldiers who had lost their lives in the military operation against Pakistan.

–Indira Satyanarayan