Antique Kumkum Container, Nepal (1278XAE) $295

Description

A kumkum container is as part of Hindu puja used for Hindu social and religious markings. Kumkum is dried and made into a paste combined with small amounts of slaked lime sometimes embellished with a few grains of rice that turns the turmeric reddish and is used to apply a tikka – a small dot applied on the forehead between the eyebrows. This spot is said to be the focal point of wisdom and concentration and is where the spiritual third eye is centered. Hindu’s believe this is the sixth of the body’s seven chakras or energy vortexes where an energy channel opens humans up to the spiritual and the divine. The tikka is said to prevent energy loss, preserve spiritual energy, and enhance concentration. Hindu religious gatherings and puja begin with the application of a tikka.  Women from certain Hindu sects wear a tikka as a sign they are married, and it is thought to be improper for them to appear in public without one. This powder and other mixes are  thrown into the air during the Hindu festival of colors (Holi). This container from Nepal is fine Hindu Ritual Art metalwork, possibly made using the lost wax process. This antique piece purchased in the 1970s in Kathmandu, Nepal has a very fine patina. This piece is part of the VA Spiritual-and-Inspirational Collection of Hindu-Cultural-and-Ritual Art.