The cap or _topi_ is not bound round the head, but is placed upon it.
It is made of cut and sewn cloth. Some varieties are _dopallari_, a
skull-cap; _kishtinuma_, or boat-shaped cap; _goltopi_, a round cap of
the kind known in England as "pork-pie"; _bezwi_, or egg-shaped cap;
_sigoshia_, or three-cornered cap; _chaugoshia_, or four-cornered cap;
_tajdar_, or crown-shaped cap; &c. Many other caps are named after the
locality of manufacture or some peculiarity of make, e.g.
_Kashmire-kitopi_; _jhalardar_, fringed cap, &c.
A form of cap much worn in Bengal and western India is known as _Irani
kullah_, or Persian cap. It is made of goatskin and is shaped like a
_tarbush_ but has no tassel. The cap worn in cold weather is called
_top_, _topa_, or _kantop_ (ear-cover) (Plate I. fig. 2); these are
sometimes padded with cotton. Caps are much worn by Mussulmans of Delhi,
Agra, Lucknow and other cities of the United provinces.
The _tarbush_ or _turki-topi_ was introduced into India by Sir Sayyid
Ahmad (Plate I. fig. 3). It must not be confused with the Moorish "fez,"
which is skull-shaped. The _tarbush_ is of Greek origin and was adopted
by Sultan Mahmud of Turkey in the early part of the 19th century. To
remove the head-dress of whatever kind is, in the East, an act of
discourtesy; to strike it off is a deep insult.
_Clothing._--The following rules from the _hadith_ or traditional
sayings of the prophet are noteworthy:--"Wear white garments, for verily
they are full of cleanliness, and pleasant to the eye." "It is lawful
for the woman of my people to clothe herself in silken garments, and to
wear ornaments of gold; but it is forbidden to man: any man who shall
wear silken garments in this world, shall not wear them in the next."
"God will not be merciful to him who through vanity wears long trousers"
(i.e. reaching below the ankle). The foregoing rules are now only
observed by the ultra-orthodox, such as the Wahabi sect and by ulemas,
or learned elderly men. The Mogul court of Delhi, especially during the
reign of Mahommed Shah, nicknamed _Rangila_ or the "dandy," greatly
influenced change in these matters. Coloured clothing, gold ornaments
and silken raiment began to be worn commonly by Mussulman men in his
reign.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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