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Rajasthani Turbans are known for their beauty and elegance, they are an essential part of traditional outfit and is still worn in small towns and villages of Rajasthan.

The Turban, variously called pagari, pencha, sela , or safa, depending on style, an angrakhi or achakan as upper garment, and dhoti or pyjamas as the lower garment make up the male outfit.

Turban Styles:

It has been estimated that there are approximately one thousand different styles and types of turbans in Rajasthan, various styles of turbans denote region and caste. These variations are by different names such as pagari and safa. A pagari is usually 82 feet long and 8 inches wide. A safa is shorter and broader. The common man wears turbans of one color, while the elite wear designs and colors according to the occasion.

Tying the Turban

Achieving the different styles with just a length of material requires great skill.

Specialists in this art, called pagribands, were employed by the royal courts, but Rajasthanis generally take pride in practicing and perfecting the art of turban-tying themselves.

A safa is much more than just an item of headgear to protect the wearer from the sun's heat.

By its shape, color and size you can tell a great deal about the man, such as where he comes from , what he does for his living, and his position in the society. A safa is about30 feet long and about 4 feet wide. It was traditionally considered an essential part of a man's clothing, and to appear in public without one was a sign of grossly bad behavior. The color, pattern, and style of tying a turban vary according to community, region and even district. Thus it is said that the dialect of men's turbans changes every 12 miles in Rajasthan. Some colors and patterns are seasonal, such as the white and red falguniya turban that is worn in the spring. Other signify family circumstances ; for instance, the dotted chunri pattern or bright colors signify a marriage or the birth of a child.

On the other hand, colors like dark blue, maroon or khaki signify a death in the family. Wearing the wrong type of turban under the wrong circumstances can make you an object of ridicule.

Some of the turbans are also called by the cloth by which it is tied , like pachrangi turban is made of a five different coloured chunri cloth and then jari turbans are there made by the cloth of jari and silk , it is generally worn on formal occasions of marriage along with Sherwani or Jodhpuri suits with heavy beautiful embriodery patterns on them.

Trend-setting Turban :

Each region of Rajasthan takes great pride in its own distinctive way of tying a turban. The people of Jodhpur, however , claim that the Jodhpuri turban is superior to all the rest, pointing to the fact that it has been adopted by trend-setters all over Rajasthan , from Bikaner to Jaipur

Credits

• This article is a reprint from Rajasthanweb.com