The Paag is a headdress in the

Mithila region Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothill ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

worn by

Maithil Maithils (Tirhuta: মৈথিল, Devanagari: मैथिल), also known as Maithili people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group from the Indian subcontinent, who speak the Maithili language as their native language. They inhabit the M ...

people. It is a symbol of honour and respect and a significant part of Maithil culture. Paag

History and style

The Paag dates back to pre-historic times when it was made of plant leaves.Means of Transport
/ref> It exists today in a modified form. The Paag is considered as a symbol of pride in Mithila. The colour of the Paag also carries a lot of significance. The red Paag is worn by the

bridegroom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man ...

and by those who are undergoing the sacred thread rituals. Paag of mustard colour is donned by those attending wedding ceremonies and the elders wear a white Paag.

Campaign

A campaign to promote use of the paag was begun in 2016 by Mithilalok, a Mithila cultural pressure group set up in that year. Called ''Paag Bachau Abhiyan'' (Save the Paag Campaign), Mithilalok was associated with a proposed symbolic wearing of the garment by some representatives in the

Bihar Legislative Council Bihar Vidhan Parishad, also known as Bihar Legislative Council, is the upper house of the bicameral Bihar Legislature of the state of Bihar in India. History A new Province of Bihar and Odisha was created by the Government of India on 12 Dec ...

in August 2016, and also with a move to have it recognised as an official head-dress of the state of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

. Paags designed and developed by Mithilalok are of different shades, colours and shapes considering fitting and suitability. In order to demonstrate and send across the message of the Culture of Mithila and India, Paag March is held by Mithilalok wherein a large number of people take to streets wearing traditional Paag on their heads.

Depiction on a postage stamp

On 10 February 2017,

India Posts India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...

released a set of sixteen commemorative postage stamps on "Headgears of India". The

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepal ...

Paag was featured on one of those postage stamps.

History and style

Campaign

Depiction on a postage stamp

References

Further reading