Types of Sikh Turbans

Simple Turban

A simple turbanJupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

Turban cloths are usually 16 feet long and 3 feet wide, and made of 100 percent cotton. This style is the most common and entails the cloth to be folded in halves until it is four to five inches wide, and then wrapped around the head of the wearer. It can be a casual look that is worn both indoors and outdoors, or fashioned with more expensive materials such as silk for festive occasions.

The Nok turban style, also called the Double Patti, is double wide. In this style, 19.7 feet of turban cloth is cut in half to make two 9.85 feet pieces, which are then sewn together width-wise. As such, the turban is much larger, thus requiring fewer wraps around the head as it covers more head space with each wrap. The wearer needs to have tied his hair up in a high knot before the wrapping begins.

The Dhamala way of styling the turban requires two 13.8 inches wide pieces of cloth. One piece should measure 16 feet, and the other 36 feet. The wearer's hair is tied up in a high knot, and the first cloth is wrapped around it several times until the entirety of the bun is covered. The longer piece of material, which has a knot at the end to make sure it stays on the wearer's head, is placed on the head, the knot being at the base. The cloth is then wrapped tightly around the person's entire head.

The house turban is worn around the house or to do sports. Kids mostly don this type of turban, or adults wear it underneath fuller turban styles. The cloth, usually 4.9 feet to 6.5 feet long, may vary in length depending on the wearer's preference. First, the wearer ties the knot on top of his head. The turban cloth is then placed on the head, the knotted area of the cloth being at the base. The two ends of the material are brought to the front and twisted at the center of the forehead. It is then wrapped around the hair knot once, folded in half, and then wrapped around the rest of the head.