A gold maang tikka hangs from the parting to the middle of the forehead — a flat pendant on a fine chain, or Rajasthan's round borla. We set ours in kundan, polki and meenakari, and size the chain to your head.
New designs are being photographed.
Every piece here is made to order. Message us and we will send the current designs.
Ask for designsWearing it
How to wear a maang tikka with your hairstyle
The pendant rests a finger or two above the brows. What changes with each hairstyle is how the chain is anchored.
Centre parting
The classic. Lay the chain along the parting — the maang, where sindoor is worn — rest the pendant above the brows, and fix the hook at the crown with two crossed pins.
Open hair
Back-comb a small section at the crown so the hook has something to grip, pin it, and let the hair fall over the chain on both sides.
A bun or a braid
Run the chain back to the top of the bun and pin it there; the bun's weight keeps the tikka straight all evening.
Side parting
Wear the tikka just off centre along the parting — or wear a jhoomar on that side instead.
Fine or thin hair
Choose a lighter tikka and anchor it with a small comb or clip at the crown rather than with pins alone, so the chain doesn't drag.
A borla
A borla is round and heavier, and rolls if it is loosely held. Tease the hair at the crown and pin it firmly.
One ornament, many names
Maang tikka, borla, nethi chutti or tika?
The same idea — an ornament on the parting — under a different name and shape in each region.
Maang tikkaमांग टीका
North India's word: a flat pendant on a chain, laid on the maang.
Flat, so it lies close to the forehead and photographs face-on.
Borla or rakhdiबोरला · राखड़ी
Rajasthan's round, domed tikka, usually set with kundan and hung with a pearl.
Held by a cord pinned at the crown; in many families worn by married women long after the wedding.
Nethi chutti
The South Indian tikka, often worn with a sun and a moon — surya and chandra — pinned on either side of the parting.
Part of the bridal set that also carries the temple jewellery motifs.
Tika
The Hyderabadi bride's medallion of uncut diamonds on a string of pearls, worn with the khara dupatta.
Broad and flat, it sits higher on the forehead than a maang tikka.
Which maang tikka suits your face?
A long, narrow maang tikka lengthens a round face; a round or broad pendant softens a long one. On a wide forehead a larger pendant holds its own, while a small forehead wants something delicate that doesn't crowd the brows — or the bindi beneath it.
In Rajasthan the round borla is the traditional choice; how it differs from a flat tikka is in our Rajasthani jewellery names guide.
Ask about a tikkaWhy is a borla heavier than a flat tikka?
Because it is a dome rather than a plate: a borla has depth, so it holds more gold and more kundan setting than a flat tikka of the same width — and its cord or chain to the crown adds gold too. That weight is why it is pinned into teased hair.
Can I wear a maang tikka without a chain?
A small one, yes: fix it at the parting with a hair clip, or with a dot of eyelash glue on the back of the pendant so it doesn't move.
Is the borla only for married women?
In many Rajasthani families, yes — the borla, or rakhdi, is worn by married women as a sign of marriage, the way sindoor is. A bride receives hers at the wedding; girls and guests wear a flat tikka instead.
Who else wears a maang tikka at a wedding?
The bride's sisters, cousins and friends, in smaller tikkas — and the same small tikka comes out again at engagements, festivals and Teej. The bride wears the largest, often with a matha patti.
How long should the chain be?
Long enough to reach from where the pendant rests to the crown of the head — usually measured from the eyebrows over the top of the head. We size the chain to you when you order.