Pagdi Museum themed on Sikh Turbans in Amritsar India

Pagdi, the colorful headgear of men of Punjab, always attracted my attention. This neatly pleated and folded turban enhanced their personality manifold.

I always thought there is just one kind of pagdi, so when I came to know of Pagdi Museum in Gobindgarh Amritsar I got very curious. What kind of exhibits would it have?

Amazing collection they have! I never imagined there could be so many different kinds of Sikh turbans. Pagdi Museum of Sikh Turbans in Amritsar is lined with mannequins wearing different kinds of turbans. There are display boards with information on the turbans and various other questions related to the turbans.

Another popular museum in Amritsar: Partition Museum

Pagdi Museum of Sikh Turbans in Amritsar Punjab

What is Pagdi and why is it worn?

Pagdi is the name given to turban – the headgear for men in Indian subcontinent. For the men of north Indian states pagdi is a matter of pride, a mark of status and was used by privileged few, men belonging to upper strata of society. It was clearly a discriminatory symbol.

However for Sikh religion it is different.

Manmohan Singh Ex Prime Minister of India. He never wore a fifty under the turban. Fifty is a meter of cloth wrapped around the head, beneath the turban – usually a contrasting color.

Why do Sikhs wear turbans?

Wiki mentions several reasons. Most important one is from religious point of view. Sikh faith forbids them from cutting their hair, as their hair is considered sacred.

As the little boys grow, length of their hair increases. Men have long beard and long hair. This is an expression of acceptance God’s will. Turban becomes necessary for covering the long hair which they keep in a bun at the top of their head.

For the Sikh men pagdi is a symbol of their religion. It is a message from the Sikh religion that all men are equal and hence all men can wear it.

Sikh faith developed during the 15th to 18th centuries in India. The core teaching of the Sikh faith was that there are no high or low among humans.

Do women of Sikh religion wear turbans?

A Sikh is instructed to live a pure life and treats women with equal status as that of men. Sikh Gurus gave women equal rights and the same message. Sikh women too may choose wear a turban if they wish and most women who wear a turban opt for Keski. Women too follow the same custom of not cutting hair from birth.

J D Cunningham, author of History of the Sikhs, writes “The Sikh women are distinguished from Hindu women by some variation in dress but chiefly by a higher top knot of hair”. This implies that even during the British rule, Sikh women were wearing turbans.

At the end of 19^th century, during the Sikh renaissance movement, a number of Khalsa schools for girls were established in Punjab where a small Dastaar was prescribed as an obligatory head dress for all. Today, this tradition is followed mostly by Amritdharis (initiated Sikhs).

Many Sikh women have started sporting turbans to cover their heads. Popular among them is Harshdeep Kaur of Hai Kabira song fame.

Singer Harshdeep Kaur – Pic taken in Dantewada Chhattisgarh.

Process of tying Pagdi

Turban isn’t a hat, one can’t just take it and place it on head. Sikh turban is a long piece of cotton fabric, typically up to 6 yards long and 1 to 2 yards wide. These measurements vary.

Basic process is to fold the cloth several times which is called making the pooni into a single layer that is then wrapped concentrically around the head in 4 layers, called larh. Some Sikhs wrap turbans around 5 or more times.

With practice it takes around 5 minutes or less to tie the turban. (This isn’t demonstrated in Pagdi Museum of Sikh Turbans in Amritsar.)

Significance of Colors of Turban

As such there isn’t any religious meaning associated with a given turban color. A person can wear any color turban they like, that includes prints too!

Some colors like orange, blue, and white are traditionally worn during religious celebrations or occasions.

Those serving Defence Services of India have to wear the prescribed color in uniform. Red is traditionally worn during Sikh weddings.

Pagdi Museum of Sikh Turbans in Amritsar

Now the most interesting part – different styles of turbans that people wear! Within each style there’s a lot of leeway according to their person’s preferences. Presenting here the the pictures from Pagdi Museum of Sikh Turbans in Amritsar.

Patka

Patka is worn mostly by children to keep their hair tidy and clean. It is basically a small piece of cloth tied around the head. The cloth can be of any color and material but preferably of cotton.

There is a ceremony in which they celebrate the occasion when a child ties their first full turban. It is called dastaar bandi (meaning turban tying). It’s often characterized as a coming of age ceremony, but not a hard and fast rule.

See school boys wear patka: Faces of India 135

Pagg

This is the name for the most commonly used pagdi. It is angular in shape and within this style too you will be surprised that there are regional differences.

British Sikhs and African Sikhs tend to wear smaller, sharper turbans (using starched cloth). Pagdi of North American Sikhs is generally softer. Indian Sikhs often tie larger turbans. Apparently, size matters!

Akali Turban

I was always intrigued by the Akali turban worn by Nihang (Akali) an armed Sikh warrior. This is the first time I got to see it close. It is a cotton conical turban tied over a wicker frame. Previously this Akali Turban besides being a head gear was used as a means for inserting and carrying a number of sharp steel edged weapons. (These weapons if hurled by the practiced hand of Akalis can cause a lethal effect.)

First form of this turban had a thick bamboo stick in the center measuring 9 inches or as long as the hand of the wearer. By wrapping around the bamboo stick step by step around, the turban became similar to a tapering tube. When the last section of the turban reached the end of the wooden stick, abreast with the tip of the stick, a part, to the measure of a hand, was left flying loose.

While riding or on foot, the flying movement of the loose end of the turban was like a flag, demonstrating their magnificence.

Akali Turban in Pagdi Museum

Patiala Shahi Turban

First tied by Patiala’s King Bhupinder Singh (12Oct 1891 – 23 March 1938). This style of turban tying is known after him as the Patiala Shahi. A 5 layer Patiala Shahi Pagg takes 5.5m cloth and a 6 layer pagg takes about 7m. It is stitched from center. About a meter of Patka is first turned into a triangle and tied to manage the hair first – then a fifty is tied about 2 to 2.5 fingers high from the brow and finally the regal looking turban is tied.

Modern Ethnic Sikh Turban

The general theory of modern turbans is that anyone can invent their own style. Nowadays there are many designer turbans some even with prints on them. Among the popular ones are:

Morni Pagg – This is very pointed Pagg, normally, about 7 to 10m long. The base of this is small and is only around 80cm. This pagg is very light and unlike the Patiala Shahi it is not fluffed. It is rather compact.

3D Lad – 3d Lad is the name given to a style where each layer is thick so as to give a depth to it and the middle and upper levels are separate.

Peshawari Kullah

In Punjab there are many non Sikh Punjabis too who traditionally had their own styles of wearing pagdi. One such traditional turban is a 2 piece pagri or known as Peshawari Kullah.

One piece is an inverted dome shaped hard cup called Kulla. It may be intricately embroidered sometimes with golden threads. The other piece is called lungi/pagdi, consists of a long piece of cloth.

It is stiffly starched and wrapped around the kulla and one end of it is tucked in the folds to fan out like a peacock’s feathers – this is called shamla. The other end hangs down loosely at the back or front of the person.

Dumala

This is a more traditional style and can be recognized by its horizontal wraps as against the peaked wraps. It is fairly large, about 5 to 8m long and is traditionally of cotton.

One dastaar is draped from the back to match the length of hair and is twisted along with it to make a knot or jooda. This is called the bonga. A second dastaar is tied around it in a round manner.

The Regal Pagg

Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s only authentic painting by Emily Eden shows his distinctive style of turban. The neck is covered to protect from the burning sun possibly due to long periods spent riding. This style of pagri is named as: The Regal Pagg.

Pic from The Sunday Tribune

Bhangda Style Pagg

This style is often with a Turla (fan like end) that juts out of the top. It resembles the folk styled turban tied in villages by men of Jat community.

Traditionally the turla is one end of this heavily starched pagg. For a fancier fan the turban is further highlighted with the use of gota (broad golden lace).

Conclusion

I found the museum very informative. Thanks to ITC Hotels, Welcomhotel Amritsar, for making this trip possible.

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