Seemantham, also known as Valaikaappu, is an Indian traditional ritual popular in the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, carried out during the 6th, 7th or 8th month of a woman's pregnancy. Although in ancient times Seemantham was performed on the birth of each child, today it may be limited to the first born. This ritual is similar to a baby shower performed in Western cultures.
The word 'Seemantham' refers to parting the hair just above the eyebrow where the Goddess of wealth, Sri Mahalakshmi, resides. This leads to the practice of applying kumkum to the parting in order to appease the Goddess Sri Lakshmi such that when a woman delivers a child, she is considered the embodiment of the Goddess Lakshmi herself.