The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

Tilak, Bal Gangadhar
northern India, is changing their jewelry
on that day because this is said to annoy
Lakshmi and raise the danger that she
might depart because of her vexation.
Tiger
In Hindu mythology, a tiger or lion is the
animal vehicle of the powerful forms of
the Goddess, such as Durga. Modern
iconography shows both lions and tigers
with no apparent difference between
them, perhaps reflecting the fact that
the Hindi word sher can refer to either
animal. In either case, the fact that the
Goddess rides such a dangerous animal
is clearly a symbol of her power and
capacity, because in her mythology
these animals are often described as her
allies, doing battle on her part in
response to her command.
Tika
In modern Hindi, a word denoting
either a commentary on a text or a colored
mark (often red vermilion) on one’s
forehead. These forehead marks are
applied for various reasons: for sheer
ornamentation, to indicate sectarian
affiliation, or as an outward symbol of
having worshiped in a temple that day
(since a common element in this worship
is to receive some of the vermilion
daubed on the feet of the deity’s image,
as a sign of grace and one’s subordinate
status). The former of these two meanings
is the original sense of the word, but
the latter meaning is far more common
in contemporary times. The connection
between these two meanings could be
the notion that just as a primary text is
ornamented and highlighted by a commentary,
in the same way a forehead
mark could ornament the body.
Tilak
A mark on the forehead, also colloquially
known as a tika, made from colored
powders mixed with oil, sandalwood
paste, or cosmetics. These forehead
marks are applied for various reasons:
for sheer ornamentation, to indicate
This ascetic’s tika markings indicate that he
belongs to the Ramanandi group.
sectarian affiliation, or as an outward
symbol of having worshiped in a temple
that day. See tika.
Tilak, Bal Gangadhar
(1856–1920) Maharashtrian political
activist who was once characterized as
“the father of Indian unrest.” Unlike his
Maharashtrian contemporaries Ranade
and Gokhale, who stressed working
within existing institutions, Tilak never
compromised his conviction that the
British had no right to rule India. He
resigned from Gokhale’s reformist group
in 1890 and devoted himself to educating
and organizing ordinary people in
Maharashtra. One vehicle for such
organizing comprised two newspapers,
one written in English and one in
Marathi. The other involved organizing
and promoting two new festivals. One
of these festivals was devoted to
the Maratha king Shivaji, a regional
hero who had spent his life fighting
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