Antique Hindu Bronze Sadhu Amulet Body Temple Seal Tilak Stamp Jewellery

A lovely little bronze item with quite a bit of age to it.

It takes the form of a religious piece of jewellery used to stamp designs onto the body.

The flat face measures ~27mm point to point, with a width of ~14mm.
The  height is ~24mm, and weighs in at ~6g.

From the internet :-

A sectarian body stamp (chhapp) used by Vishnu Devotees and others, they are dipped into a paste prepared of sandalwood. The tilaka is a mark created by the application of powder or paste on the forehead. Tilakas are markings worn by Vaishnavites. Traditional Jewellery of India - "The stamps are applied after the devotee has undergone a purifying bath. A paste of white sandalwood and water is then prepared in the case of Vaishnavites or in the case of Shaivites a paste of red sanders wood. The paste is then applied using the stamp to proscribed parts of the body such as the forehead, cheeks, shoulders, forearms and stomach."In Hinduism, the tilaka (Sanskrit: is a mark worn usually on the forehead, sometimes other parts of the body such as neck, hand or chest. Tilaka may be worn on a daily basis or for rites of passage or special religious occasions only, depending on regional customs. Tilak is worn on the Ajna Chakra, the centre of forehead, on the space between the eyebrows. Tilak is applied on the point at which the third eye or the spiritual eye is believed to open.