World’s largest turban!

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Major Singh, a Nihang Sikh in India, is hoping to qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records with the world’s largest turban (via Mr. Sikhnet):

A Sikh cleric from Amritsar is all set to make it to the record books for wearing what he claims is the largest turban in the world… Major Singh… wears a huge tower-shaped turban using 400 meters of cloth, some 100 hairpins, and embellished with 51 religious symbols made in metal. [Link]

This style of round turban is known as a dumaala and is common to Nihang Sikhs. Most Nihangs wear a smaller turban than this, but there is a tradition of competing to see who can wear the largest. Major Singh’s 400 meter turban weighs around 35 kg, or roughly 77 lbs. Nobody else is in his weight class, the next largest turbans are 10 kg smaller.

If you’ve ever seen or met a Nihang Sikh, all dressed in blue, you’re not likely to forget:

Nihang Singhs belong to a martial tradition … Their way of life, style of dress, and weaponry has remained little changed since … three hundred years ago. Nihangs are a semi-nomadic people. They are organized into “armies” and live in camps known as “cantonments”. Men and women both train in horsemanship, swordsmanship, and in the Punjabi martial art known as gatka. During times of persecution in the past, the Nihangs defended Sikh shrines and the Sikh way of life and become known for their bravery against all odds. In times of peace they travel to festivals and fairs throughout India, staging displays of horsemanship and martial skills. [Link]

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p>For those inquiring minds, my own turban is considerably more modest in size. It’s not the size of the turban on the man, it’s the size of the man in the turban, and that’s all I have to say on this topic . [Major Singh is, I’m sure, a lot of man in a very large turban.]

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p>Related Sepia Mutiny Posts: Crisp or Not, As American as Gatka, Justice Department smacks MTA over turban ban, Da Star in dastar, This turban’s disturbin’

Related Articles: Nihangs, Learn How To Tie Different Sikh Turbans

38 thoughts on “World’s largest turban!”

  1. I saw some female Nihangs at the Golden Temple a couple of years ago. They were awesome – each one over six foot tall with a spear and a beautiful long dumaala. They looked noble, and dare I say it, they looked elegant too. Heads held high, walking as if the whole Earth belonged to them.

    Some Nihangs also consume cannabis, a little controversially. But at Hola Mohalla you will find them punding the marijuana leaves and drinking them with milk to get spirtual high and increase martial valour. THey are absolutely fascinating – and totally bad ass.

  3. Nice pic, but I sure wouldn’t want to be this guy at passport control.

    “Step to one side please, sir.”

    Talk about a full-cavity search.

  5. You know I wrote a comment ages ago about being able to tell who wrote a post simply from the opening? I’ve become even better at Abhi – all I need are three words. But this was a giveaway, I knew it was Ennis immediately.

    I didn’t know about nihangs and marijuana Jay. Come to think of it, I didn’t know much about them at all until that para above. The dude must have a neck like Tyson.

  6. You can see Nihangs @ Holla Mohalla doing their martial arts and horse riding in the new movie starring Aamir Khan called Rang ds Basanti. If you watch the trailers on the Indian channels you will see it too. Every Vaisakhi they have a festival there and have a massive celebration of all those kinds of Sikh martial arts and skills, horse racing, falconry, sword skills, everything.

  7. You know I wrote a comment ages ago about being able to tell who wrote a post simply from the opening? I’ve become even better at Abhi – all I need are three words. But this was a giveaway, I knew it was Ennis immediately.

    Intriguing – what are my “tells”? I’m actually not the most frequent poster on turban issues, or even on Sikh ones. And this was a pretty straightforward story to tell ….

  10. Ennis, I think for the sake of publicizing Sepia Mutiny you should try to compete with Major Singh and tie an even larger turban!

  11. It’s not the size of the turban on the man, it’s the size of the man in the turban. And that’s all I have to say on this topic.

  13. Does anyone know how & why the tradition of Nihangs having large turbans started ?

    Was it to enable them to be more easily spotted on the battlefield, or just to differentiate themselves from other Sikhs ?

    Or is it an extrapolation of the Gurbani verse praising “ideal” Sikh behaviour, ie. “Khoob teri pagri, meethe tere bol” (“your turban is large, and your speech is sweet”) ?

  15. It’s not the size of the turban on the man, it’s the size of the man in the turban. And that’s all I have to say on this topic.

    hhmm……..no comment.

    Yes i’m curious about the nihangs and the turbans too. If anyoone has info, please cough it up!

  16. Don’t know how true this is, but it’s cute =)

    Though there is no concrete account of how the Nihangs came about, it is told by many Singhs that one day the three Sahibzaadey (princes of Guru Gobind Singh Ji) were performing their battle skills, and the youngest of them all Baba Fateh Singh Ji also wanted to play with his brothers. The other brothers replied: “At the moment you are too small.” The Sahibzaadey felt so let down that he went inside the palace and tied a dastaar (turban) as tall as one hand. He put on a blue dress. Placed a Chakar (round disc carried on a belt or worn on the turban) on himself. He adorned himself with a small Khanda. Over his dastaar he wrapped a ‘dumalla’ and in he held in his hand a spear, with wore his Kirpaan. He then went to where his brothers were playing and said, “Now I don’t look small.”

    Link

  17. Sorry Jai, for the terseness. Work is hectic, but if you could cut and paste the interesting parts of that link, people would probably find it useful.

  20. Intriguing – what are my “tells”?

    well, I don’t know if I’m better at this than Bong Breaker (I totally am. I just said that so he wouldn’t cry) but I’ll take a stab at it.

    Your “tells” are subtle at first (unlike Manish and ANNA who’re always identifiable), but distinctive during those periods when you post more frequently.

    You might not be the most frequent poster on Sikh/turban issues, but when you do it’s very straightforward. You don’t wrap it up in a larger story, or take your time ambling to the point. (Which is why the first 5 words on this post are a dead “Ennis” giveaway.)

    When you do a human interest story, it’s slightly more academic than an Abhi-story, since he puts a current-events spin on it.

    When you do an amusing/interesting/color piece (a la Manish) it’s a sort of cute and cheeky take (like the Disco Ennis post) and not a hair-splitting critique.(ahem)..

    Your posts will never, ever, be confused with ANNA’s. Does that one even need to be explained?

    You write more Guiness Book posts than the other mutineers. Not sure if that’s statistically true, but it seems like you do.

    Er…I could go on, but I think I sound a leeeetle too stalker-ish already 😉

  21. No, please do. Unlike Anna, Manish and Abhi, who have very clear and distinct voices, I wasn’t really aware I … had an “accent”. And guilty as charged on the Guinness World Book of Records trend 😉

    p.s. Kenyandesi – I remember that I have to do more Africa posts, I’ll get to them soon, I promise.

  22. You might not be the most frequent poster on Sikh/turban issues, but when you do it’s very straightforward. You don’t wrap it up in a larger story, or take your time ambling to the point. (Which is why the first 5 words on this post are a dead “Ennis” giveaway.)

    You’re right about this. I guess I just think of turbans, and Sikhism, as being so mainstream that I don’t feel much of a need for a tie in or a pretty frame.

  23. No, please do. Unlike Anna, Manish and Abhi, who have very clear and distinct voices, I wasn’t really aware I … had an “accent”

    <<faints.>>

  25. Wouldn’t want to be near him in a thunderstorm with all those metal symbols pointed skyward….

  28. This is a relevant extract from the link Ennis kindly supplied, regarding the origins of this particular type of “tall turban” amongst Nihangs:

    Akali Phoola Singh Ji was disciple of Bhai Naina Singh Ji. According to the ‘Mahaan Kosh’, Akali Phoola Singh Ji was born around Samvat 1818 Bikrami (1761 AD). From this, we can reason that Bhai Naina Singh Ji introduced this style of tall turbans, known as ‘Naina Singheeye Dumaalas’ in second half of 18th century”.

    With this in mind, if we consider the time when Swaroop Singh Kaushish would have written his book ‘Guru Keeyaan Saakheeyaan’ in 1790 AD, he must have witnessed a section of his contemporary Sikhs adorning the blue ‘Pharla’ upon their dastaars. Obviously, he mentioned in his writings and concludes that Guru Gobind Singh Ji must have initiated this tradition. There is however the strong possibility that the description of the ‘Pharla’ was added at a later date in this text. The original text is unfortunately no longer available.

    In contrast to this, ‘Sri Gur Sobha’ and ‘Gur Bilaas Paatshaahee 10’ (Kuyer Singh) were written long before Bhai Naina Singh Ji. The tradition of ‘Dumaala’ and ‘Pharla’ was not in vogue at that time, hence we find no mention of it in their earlier texts.

    It is common amongst the Nihangs to rename many things. For example, ‘bhang’ (cannabis) is renamed ‘Sukha’ or ‘Sukh-nidhaan’ (literally ‘treasure of bliss’). Similarly, the ‘Turla’ is renamed ‘Pharla’ amongst the Nihangs.

    Grammatically, the word ‘Pharla’ originates from the Indian word ‘Phar-haraa’, which means ‘flag’. As it has been said, Bhai Naina Singh started the tradition of ‘Pharla’. The ‘Nishaanchi’ (flagman) would keep the ‘Pharla’ on his turban, so that he could use arms as well, while carrying the ‘Nishaan’ (flag) in battlefield. (See Nihang, in ‘Mahaan Kosh’).

    Presently, in most Nihang organizations, the ‘Pharla’ is given only to senior Nihangs. The Nihang-chief himself ties the ‘Pharla’ onto the dumalla of the Nihang to whom it is presented. Other Nihang organizations may send their Nihangs to the ‘Budhha Dal’ chief to get the ‘Pharla’. It reinforces their respect for the ‘Budhha Dal’ and by doing so, indicate their acceptance of the Budhha Dal’s superiority.

    This much said, it has to be noted that there is no compulsory ruling or custom that only the ‘Budhha Dal’ chief may bestow the ‘Pharla’ upon a Nihang as many who keep the ‘Pharla’ upon their ‘Dumaala’ have not received this from the Budhha Dal.

    Just as with the Dumalla, which is today worn by many Sikhs, who are not Nihangs per se, the custom of wearing a Pharla with the Dumalla can also be noted amongst non-Nihang groups.

    And this is from another page on the same website: As mentioned earlier, a particular style of turban is also known as a ‘Dumaala’ in Nihang tradition.

    In ‘Sri Gur Panth Prakash’, Giani Gian Singh has written that Bhai Naina Singh Ji tied a tall turban and recited the holy line from Sri Guru Granth Sahib, “Main Gur Mil Uch Dumaalrha”. Since then, his followers started to wear tall turbans, which were called ‘Naina Singheeye Dumaalas’.

    It should be noted that in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the word ‘Dumaala’ has been used in a specific meaning (see above). Perhaps Nihang Naina Singh Ji was trying to indicate that he was the winner and received the prize from the Guru.

    In ‘Mahaan Kosh’, ‘Sardaar Bahaadur’ Kahan Singh Nabha corroborates the story given by Giani Gian Singh that tall ‘Dumaalas’ were started by Bhai Naina Singh.

    Akali Phoola Singh Ji was disciple of Bhai Naina Singh Ji. According to the ‘Mahaan Kosh’, Akali Phoola Singh Ji was born around Samvat 1818 Bikrami (1761 AD). From this, we can reason that Bhai Naina Singh Ji introduced this style of tall turbans, known as ‘Naina Singheeye Dumaalas’ in second half of 18th century.

  29. Another great source of information on Nihangs, as well as the three other traditional schools of Sikhism (Udasi, Nirmala & Sewapanthi): http://www.sarbloh.info/htmls/sikh_akali1.html. It’s heavy on graphics and a bit difficult to navigate, but worth a look.

    There’s a Nihang revival movement led by Nihang Niddar Singh, who’s launched self defense classes around the UK drawing from Shastar Vidiya, the ancient Sikh martial art (not Gatka!). More info on Shastar Vidiya: http://www.shastarvidiya.org.

  30. Ennis, BB and Cicatrix : I’ve got one word for you – Blink.

    I am reading this fascinating book and it’s cool to see a real live example being played out right here on SM.

  31. ANNA, I thought that it didn’t need further explanation because Ennis is secretive about his personal life and you are not. So much so that it’s like you two are on opposite ends of that spectrum 😉

    It seems to affect everything from the writing style to the topic to how each post is introduced.

    I mean, can you imagine if Ennis revealed his face? Pattie Kaur’s head might implode 😀

  32. Gujjubhai,

    See here for a bad attempt at satirizing the mutineers. It might interest you though, for clearly the writer got one hell of a crazy first impression whenever he visited Sepiamutiny. Personally, I like not-cicatrix, y’kna’mean?

  33. I mean, can you imagine if Ennis revealed his face? Pattie Kaur’s head might implode 😀

    yes, it just might. but then again, he may make some of my family VERY happy. 😉

  34. Hmm…I’m not sure about the “art of thinking without thinking” gujjubhai (although I DO do a lot of not-thinking), but I specialise in the art of ‘Fighting without fighting‘.

    Yeah cica I’ve seen that before, how completely nuts. What I want to know is, how the hell did Punjabi Boy get a starring not-spot? I wonder where that fat waster is. As I embark upon my own jumbo trip, I can’t help thinking that PB is making a nuisance of himself somewhere in the world. Ah, makes me proud to be British.

  36. RE: Jai on February 17, 2006 02:21 PM · Direct link Does anyone know how & why the tradition of Nihangs having large turbans started ?

    Was it to enable them to be more easily spotted on the battlefield, or just to differentiate themselves from other Sikhs ?

    Or is it an extrapolation of the Gurbani verse praising “ideal” Sikh behaviour, ie. “Khoob teri pagri, meethe tere bol” (“your turban is large, and your speech is sweet”) ?

    Jai – The reason is a logical reason and yes you are are sort of on the right track. The large turban of the Akli Nihang Singh Khalsa was to give impression to enemies that, in the distance giants were approaching. When the thier enemies swa them in comparison to their horses they would actually flee. Ha Ha . .! Quite Genius!

    Regards http://www.Sarbloh.Com

  37. Nihang,

    Thank you very much for the explanation. I also read some time ago that as Nihangs were often regarded as “Generals” in battlefield situations, they had large turbans so that other Sikhs would be able to easily spot them when in the middle of such battles.

    I also believe that in the period from Guru Gobind Singh ji’s death until the late Misl-era (ie. most of the 18th Century), the “classic” Nihang attire, especially the extensive weaponry carried, was pretty much the normal way for Sikhs to dress as it was a particularly dangerous time for them (repeated raids from the north-west etc). Quite interesting.

  38. I went to hiz dera and he hugged me and he introduced me to hiz army and i took bhand at his dera and im onli 12