26. He Has Lines on His Forehead Known as “Vibhuti”
Covering Shiva’s third eye is three horizontal white lines that are drawn across his forehead in ash. They represent his wealth, power, and pervasiveness. Faithful Hindus often draw the vibhuti lines on their own foreheads to indicate their devotion and identification with Shiva. These lines serve as personal lingams; a lingam is an object that symbolizes Shiva without using anthropomorphic (human) features.