The ''Mysuru peta'' (''peta'' is a

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

word which means

turban A turban (from Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promin ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

) is the classical royal Indian attire worn by the erstwhile

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

s of

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

. Wodeyars wore a richly bejeweled turban made of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

and jari (

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

threaded

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

) to match with colorful dresses as part of the royal dress.Mysore Peta/Turban
/ref> Administrators under the

, such as the

Dewans ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...

(Prime Minister appointed by the King) and other senior officials who swayed considerable power in matters of state administration also wore the Mysuru peta. After India became independent in 1947 and the princely state merged with the Indian union, the traditional Mysuru peta has been retained as a symbol of heritage and cultural antecedents and distinguished people are honoured by the award of a Mysore peta with a

shawl A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folde ...

in formal functions.

Ancient tradition

Kings wore the traditional Mysuru peta as headgear during the

Durbar Durbar can refer to: * Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs * Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria * Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...

(court of Indian or princley state's kings) time or in a ceremonial procession during the Dassara celebrations and or during joint ceremonial parades with the visiting royal dignitaries from foreign countries. Sir M

It was expected that the men attending King's

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...

wore the conventional attire called the durbar dress which comprised a black long coat with white trousers and a compulsory Mysuru peta (turban).

Design

The attractive and colourful turban is a

headdress Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, d ...

made up of long

scarf A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of differ ...

–like single piece of cloth made of

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

wound round the head cap and is often decorated with jari border (golden or silver laces) and beautiful metal

pendants A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, which may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. Its name stems from the Latin word ' ...

that adds to its glory and grandeur. In the early 1930s, the "Imperial Hatworks" located in heritage buildings called the Hatworks Boulevard (150 years old history), at No. 32, Cunningham Road, Bengaluru, used to make the "pretied Mysuru peta" for the Maharajah of Mysuru. This place was owned by Manackjee who had set up shop after studying hatmaking in the UK. But this shop closed down a few years after Manackjee's death in 1959. The old–world ambiance of the Hatworks Boulevard has been restored as a minor tourist place with a boutique, French spa,

cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

–and–

pastry Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" sugges ...

shop, an art gallery (through a tie–up with Crimson Art Gallery), a home furnishing store, an art costume jewellery store and a shop selling custom–made

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

pieces.

Social and religious tradition

The people of the

Mysuru district Mysore district, officially Mysuru district is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mysore division.Chamarajanagar District was carved out of the origi ...

and the Kodagu district feel proud to wear turbans called Mysuru peta. In Kodagu district, it is part of the traditional dress worn on special occasions such as

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

s. Men wear a turban during religious ceremonies to portray respect and reverence towards the

Supreme Being In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

. Distinguished people are honoured by the award of a Mysuru peta in formal functions.

University Convocation cap

Convocation caps are adorned by students and faculty during convocation ceremonies. This practice has been changed by the Inter–University Board (IUB) of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, which has ruled that students passing out of the nine universities in Karnataka shall no longer wear the traditional black cap – the

mortarboard The square academic cap, graduate cap, cap, mortarboard (because of its similarity in appearance to the mortarboard used by brickmasons to hold mortar) or Oxford cap is an item of academic dress consisting of a horizontal square board fixed up ...

(as it was considered a British legacy) - during their proud moments. Instead, universities have been given the option of using the traditional Mysuru peta. The academic cap or square, commonly known as the "mortarboard", a symbol of the academia is a flat square

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

with a

tassel A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. History and use In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to ...

suspended from a

button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, o ...

in the top centre of the board. The tassel is made of a cluster of silk threads, which are fastened by a button at one end and fixed at the centre of the headpiece. In

Karnataka University Karnatak University is a public state university in Dharwad district of Karnataka state, India. The university is recognized by University Grants Commission and accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). As of 2014 ...

Convocation, students have now the option to wear the Karnataka's traditional Mysuru peta, a turban made of silk or cotton cloth with jari tied to the head in a traditional way (tied Mysuru petas or turbans are readily marketed for the purpose in most major cities of the state).http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1670080.cms Mysore peta in, graduation cap out

References

{{Clothing in South Asia Culture of Karnataka Indian headgear Kingdom of Mysore

Ancient tradition

Design

Social and religious tradition

University Convocation cap

See also

References