The Cult of Wearing Turbans in India

Turbans, as we all know, are the traditional head gear of many Indian people. For those who do not know about turbans, it is actually a sort of a head gear meant for covering the head from the external influences like heat and cold. It is made from a piece of unstitched cloth which is then draped around one’s head in a particular way in order to make it in to voluminous turbans. Turbans serve the same purpose as that of hats in the western world. At the beginning, it was worn to protect head from heat and dust, while at a later stage it transformed into a symbol of our Indian heritage and culture. Much like any other Indian fashion accessories, turbans have also undergone the different influences of the world and have emerged as something completely different than that it began as.

There are many evidences in our old historical and theological books of the past that turbans or head gears have been used since the 21st century. The early Indians mainly used to tie it for protecting their head and hair, but in the later Vedic eras, turbans emerged as a sign of class and power and hence only the Brahmins or the scholars and the ruler class can wear it. Turban became most popular in the Gupta and the mughal era. While the golden era rulers promoted turban wearing among common masses, mughal emperor Akbar himself started wearing the hindu pagri in order encourage the mass to wear pagris. However, the turbans of the royal family were much gaudier and heavily designed and embellished with precious stones in order to make them fit for royal wear. The mughals also brought in with them the Persian and the mughal way of tying up a turban. Hence the turban came as a unique mixture of the royal and the creative cultural aspects.  Turbans are usually made from cotton which makes these turbans easier to wear on a daily basis. Turbans are also found in some other fabrics which are mostly used in a wedding or party.

Turbans are still worn in India by some people. The most notable among them are the Sikhs who wear turbans in accordance with their religion. Cutting off their hair or not wearing the turban is a sign of blasphemy towards their religion. Nowadays, Sikhs are highly distinguished by their own unique way of turban wearing. The Rajasthanis and some other rural folks of India also wear their distinctive turbans which is a sign of their native age old heritage values. In keeping with the tradition, turbans have still existed in the modern times. Not only the Sikhs, but also some members of the younger generation from various parts of India can be seen sporting a turban. The turbans are colourful and their way of tying is entirely different from the normal turbans. Turbans can also be spotted to be worn by the models in the different fashion weeks of India which is itself a testament of the popularity of the turbans. It can be worn by both the sexes and hence is emerging as a mens ethnic wear style statement in India.