Also called: ūrdhva-puṇḍra · tripuṇḍra · sectarian mark

Where on the hand: Palm surface, most read on Jupiter and Saturn.

What it looks like: Either three short parallel horizontal strokes of equal length (tripuṇḍra, the Śaiva form), or a narrow U or V with a vertical stroke inside it (ūrdhva-puṇḍra, the Vaiṣṇava form).

Religious initiation and sectarian commitment; the marked, consecrated person. Related to the classical dīkṣā rekhā, the initiation line at the base of the index finger.

Read with care: Contemporary Hindi devotional palmistry only; very rare as a distinct sign.