The Dumalla is a type of turban worn by

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

. This turban is worn mainly by Sikhs who are initiated into the

Khalsa The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism< ...

, through participating in the

Amrit Sanchar Amrit Sanskar (, pronunciation: , lit. "nectar ceremony") is one of the four Sikh Sanskaars. The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite introduced by Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa in 1699. A Sikh who has been initiated into the ...

but can be worn by all Sikhs. However, the more common one is the

Dastar A dastār is an item of headwear associated with Sikhism and Sikh culture. The word is loaned from Persian through Punjabi. In Persian, the word ''dastār'' can refer to any kind of turban and replaced the original word for turban, ''dolband'' ...

. The word Dumalla means "Du" meaning two and "Malla" meaning cloth or fabric. This is because there will usually be one fabric to form the base of the turban and a second to wrap around the base to form the turban itself. There many different types of Dumalla, in many different sizes and colours.

Symbolism

The Dumalla style may trace its origin to Fateh Singh, the youngest son of

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...

. The Dumalla itself was worn by many of the Sikh

Gurus Guru ( ; IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential figure to the disciple (or '' ...

, thus many Sikhs also adopted the Dumalla. During the era of

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

rule many Mughals would wear turbans as a crown to show they were of royal stature and was seen as a symbol of noble authority, whereas the poor and those who were not

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

were not allowed to wear turbans, leading to oppression and inequality during the rule. Sikh Gurus, most notably starting with

Guru Arjan Dev Guru Arjan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: ; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture called the Adi Granth, which later expande ...

, seeing this took a stand against this and said "If the Mughals wear one turban, we will wear two" to show that they would stand against the oppression and tyranny of that age. Since then, Sikhs have been wearing the Dumalla as part of practicing their way of life.

Styles

Modern Dumalla

This is the turban many Sikhs who wear the Dumalla will adorn. There will usually be a base made with the hair wrapped into a bun through being twisted into a cloth to form the base or forming a bun and then covering with a cloth. It is generally tied in the way that the first layer goes over the right ear to the left top side of the base in a diagonal wrap and the same follows with the over the left ear to the right top side of the base and the third wrap going from the right ear to the top in a horizontal wrap across the top of the eyebrows. The rest of the turban is tied following the same pattern as the third wrap, being wrapped above each additional wrap until it reaches the top of turban and the extra cloth is tucked in between the existing wraps.

Chand Tora

This is a

warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

style turban which was worn by Sikhs in battle. The "Chand" is a metal symbol consisting of a crescent sword and a double edged sword, it is held in place at the front of the turban by the "Tora" which is woven

chainmail Mail (sometimes spelled maille and, since the 18th century, colloquially referred to as chain mail, chainmail or chain-mail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common milita ...

cord tied in a pattern within the turban to protect the head from slashing weapons. This type of turban is generally worn by

Nihang The Nihang (also spelt as Nihung lit. "Crocodiles") or Akali (lit. "Immortals"), also known as '' Dal Khalsa'', is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihangs are believed to have originated either from Fateh Sin ...

Singhs.

Gol

"Gol" means round and so this is the round dumalla, frequently called the "gol dastaar". This can also be tied with a base but instead of diagonal wraps, this turban is tied going around the head with each wrap going above the last. This is generally the simplest type of dumalla to tie and was popularised mainly by the leaders of Damdami Taksaal, the walking university of Sikhism such as Jarnail Singh and Sant Kartar Singh, as well as many in the Nanaksari sect.

References

Headgear Sikh religious clothing Indian headgear Nihang {{Sikhism-stub

Symbolism

Styles

Modern Dumalla

Chand Tora

Gol

See also

References