In India, turbans designate different meanings, castes

RAJASTHAN, India -- These are turbulent times for turbans, with terrorists and the Taliban giving them a negative connotation. But that has not always been the case. Jan Vermeer's famous painting, Girl With a Pearl Earring, could just as easily have been titled Girl in a Blue Turban. Her magnificent headdress went on to become a Hollywood staple favored by style icons including Hedy Lamarr, Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor and Gloria Swanson. Turbans are traditionally worn by men, but no one is certain when the first length of cloth was fashioned into headgear.

The origins were likely practical, as protection from the elements. Today, turban territory spreads across North Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia and parts of Turkey. The ones worn in India are the most colorful and varied, representing cultural, religious and, sometimes, caste affiliations. They range from simple strips of cloth to elaborate bejeweled masterpieces that are signs of wealth, power and celebration.

Turbans are not worn by everyone and mean different things to different groups. For followers of Sikhism, it is a religious obligation to wear what they call a dastar. Sikh turbans are distinctive in how tightly they are wrapped. The color of the turban is significant -- a blue turban represents a soldier, while orange is for wisdom. Black is common and practical, especially for those living in cooler climates.

The Rajasthan region of northern India is the country's epicenter of the turban. There, a turban can tell a lot about a person -- where he lives, who his family is, what he believes and what he does for a living. It's the home of a small turban museum (Surabhi Restaurant and Turban Museum), as well as being the place to buy turbans for various occasions such as weddings, anniversaries and formal affairs.

Mahaveer Singh, a tour guide from Jodhpur, has studied the philosophy and cultural differences of the communities in northern India with a special interest in turbans.

"The Pagari is a very popular turban these days," he says.

Shorter than most -- between 13 and 30 feet long -- the Pagari is worn in different colors, shapes and sizes according to the region and caste, he says. "But even in the same caste, it can be different."

"Turbans are exchanged as a sign of respect or friendship as well," Singh says.

The pastoralist community -- herders and shepherds from the Pali, Jalore and the Sirohi districts -- wear turbans for festivities but also find practical uses, according to Singh. They are used as rope for tying up an animal when necessary.

The Pag turban, which can stretch more than 70 feet long, is associated with the Rajput, or warrior caste, and the mercantile community. Rounder looking turbans are associated with potters and gardeners. Smaller multicolored turbans were once generally associated with musicians, but today they are worn by waiters, hotel staff and others.

While you will see staff and security at hotels wearing turbans as part of their uniforms, headgear occasionally relates to the position the man holds at the hotel. For example, the security guards at gates often sport turbans that have a conical feature reminiscent of old military turbans. In the past, Muslim troops would wear different cloth on their turbans to distinguish rank.

Colors can also simply be representations of different seasons. To understand the real meaning of a turban, you have to ask the wearer. Villagers often wear white or pink turbans. Singh explains the significance.

"All white dress with white turban is normally worn by farmers in Rajasthan and the entire northern part of India as a costume. But among the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan, it is religious."

Farmers wearing white turbans can be identified by the edge of cloth, which is not white. "They tend to be from the southeast part," he says.

White is also a sign of mourning when a family member of a married man dies. After 12 days, a pink turban is worn to mark the end of the mourning period and to represent the beginning of the cycle of life.

High Profile on 02/22/2015

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