Thursday 26 May 2011

Types of Sikh Turban

This page has a collection of videos which are meant to assist people in learning how to tie a turban, or to learn a different style of turban. The turbans listed here are those generally worn by people of the Sikh faith. There are quite a few different variations and turban styles that Sikhs wear. These videos are just some of the many variations. We hope that these videos are helpful for you. 

The turban is our Guru's gift to us. It is how we crown ourselves as the Singhs and Kaurs who sit on the throne of commitment to our own higher consciousness. For men and women alike, this projective identity conveys royalty, grace, and uniqueness. It is a signal to others that we live in the image of Infinity and are dedicated to serving all. The turban doesn't represent anything except complete commitment. When you choose to stand out by tying your turban, you stand fearlessly as one single person standing out from six billion people. It is a most outstanding act.







This is a common turban style worn in Punjab, India. It is basically a double wide turban. 6 meters of turban cloth are cut in half (two - three meter pieces) and then sewn together on long edge to make it "Double wide". This makes for a larger turban with fewer wraps around the head.
Men's Double Patti (Nok)
Download Video
 
 

This style originated from the western Sikh communities in America. Most western Sikh women who become a Sikh wear a turban (whether or not they are Amritdhari). This is a common style which is worn. Usually it is at least two layers. One layer of turban fabric and then a white chuni at the final "finished" layer.

Turban Layer 1 - Around 3 meters long and folded three times.
Turban Layer 2 - Around 4.5 Meters long and folded twice.
Turban Layer 3 - White Chuni
Women's Turban #1





This style of turban is generally worn by Nihang Sikhs . This is the warrior style turban meant for going into battle. This version show the "Chand Tora" with the metal wire around the turban.
Dhamala /Dumalla #1

Here is another variation of the dhamala turban without the Chand Tora. Each person adopts their own method of tying the dhamala. Once you learn the basics you can tweak the method to fit you.

Damallas definitely vary in width and length. The pieces I used were:
one 5 meter piece (Dark Blue)
one 11 meter piece (White or Blue or any color, this piece has a knot at the end to hold it on my head in the beginning)
Both pieces are about 35 cm wide, and referred to in Amritsar as Damalla Material. I'm not sure of the official name of it.

The difficulty with tying a Damala is usually in getting the shape right. It may take a good 5-10 tries of tying practice to get the right shape.
Dhamala /Dumalla #2




Dhamala /Dumalla #3
Here is a smaller and simpler variation of the above two turbans.

How to Tie a Turban Options for Watching Video (?)
RealPlayer (Streaming)
Windows Media (To Download - Right click on link and select "Save Target As")

General Men's Turban
This another common Sikh turban style for men. Unlike the "double patti"/double wide turban, this turban is longer and goes about 7 times around the head.

Turban Tying 101
1. Wash the Pugree once before you use it to get rid of the starch it has.
2. For the material use either Rubia or Voyal. Do not use Malmal as it is very fine and needs to be starched before use.
3. Wear a patka underneath as it prevents the turban from slipping.
4. If you have a big joora (hair knot), do not make it right in front at your forehead. You will end up tying the turban on the joora it will make your turban look very high and big.
5. You would have noticed that I did not take care in ensuring that the Pallas on right hand side of the turban are neatly placed. You can try and do it. I suggest you try this only after you can get your Pallas on the left hand side in place.
6. It will take regular practice to get a neat turban; do not get frustrated if your turban is not neat even after about 5 to 10 attempts.
7. Practice tying your turban on a daily basis. Once you do it daily it wont take you more than 5 mins to tie a nice neat turban.
8. Do not feel shy to ask people at the local Gurdawara Sahib for help.
9. This style of turban is the very basic style, I recommend this style to all beginners as it solves the problem of ensuring that the palla themselves are neat and do not have any folds in them. Also as the width of the pallas is uniform tying the tuban becomes easy. Once you are comfortable with this style you can move on to various other styles.
10. If you need any more help please feel free to contact me

Yours Humbly, Angad Singh (Singapore)

How to Tie a Turban Options for Watching Video (?)
RealPlayer (Streaming)
Windows Media (To Download - Right click on link and select "Save Target As")

Women's Turban #2
This another style of turban that is worn my Sikh women.

How to Tie a Turban Options for Watching Video (?)
RealPlayer (Streaming)
Windows Media (To Download - Right click on link and select "Save Target As")

This is a quick casual turban that you might tie if you are around the house or exercising. For some women they tie this one when they get up early in the morning for their Sadhana (banis/meditation,etc). The turban shown in this video is about 3 meters long.
Women's "House" Turban

This is a quick casual turban that you might tie if you are around the house or going to do some sports. It is generally worn by kids, or as an under turban to one of the above "full" turbans. The cloth is about 1.5 to 2 meters long. The length will vary depending on if you do a single wrap around, or a few. You can adjust the size to your preference.
Boys "House" Turban #1 (Keski)


Boys "House" Turban (Patka/Keski) #2
This is a quick casual turban that you might tie if you are around the house or going to do some sports. It is generally worn by kids, or as an under turban to one of the above "full" turban

How to Tie a Turban Options for Watching Video (?)
RealPlayer (Streaming)
Windows Media (To Download - Right click on link and select "Save Target As")


General Men's Turban (Nok Turban)
This another common Sikh turban style for men. Unlike the "double patti"/double wide turban, this turban is longer and goes about 7 times around the head.


How to Tie a Turban Options for Watching Video (?)
RealPlayer (Streaming)
Windows Media (To Download - Right click on link and select "Save Target As")