Tika representing pancha tatwo

In Nepal, sisters perform ‘bhai tika’, which means worshipping of brothers. Bhai-taka is performed on the second day of the bright fortnight (kartik sukla pachaya) of Kartik (October-November). This is the last day of the five-day festival of lights and flowers called ‘Tihar’ or ‘Deepawali’.

Sisters worship their brothers by applying tikas of different colors on the foreheads of their brothers. These five different tikas represent the five life supporting elements such as water, air, heat, earth (food), and ether (mind), altogether called ‘pancha tato’. Offering of ‘pancha tato’ means a life offering: one of the major offerings in the tantric offerings.

These five tikas of red, yellow, green, blue and white colors are applied vertically on the forehead. None can take the lives of brothers with such five tikas on their foreheads. Even the king of heaven, Yam Raj cannot take the lives of brothers after sisters apply the five-color tika on their brothers’ forehead.

Sisters apply such five tikas on the brothers for their long lives. Thus, the five tikas represent the profound love of sisters for brothers.