Himachali cap

Last updated
A man in Kullu, wearing a traditional Himachali cap. Ved Prakash - Solang Valley 2014-05-10 2547.JPG
A man in Kullu, wearing a traditional Himachali cap.

Himachali cap (Bushehri topi, Pahari topi, Kinnauri topi) is a distinctive headdress associated with Himachal Pradesh's culture. It is a part of the traditional dress of many Pahari inhabitants. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

2017 Indian stamp depicting the cap Stamp of India - 2017 - Colnect 753869 - Himachali Cap.jpeg
2017 Indian stamp depicting the cap

The Himachali cap was historically related to Kinnaur and reached other parts of Himachal Pradesh via princely state of Bushahr and Kullu. The weaving style and materials used for these caps differ from each other. The typical green colored Kinnauri/Bushahri cap is also worn in the adjoining areas of Garhwal Himalayas, specially in Dehradun (Jaunsar-Bawar), Uttarkashi and Tehri Garhwal. A similar, but different variety of red colored cap is worn in Uttarkashi and the neighboring areas of Garhwal (not to be confused with red colored Dhumal cap). These caps are more prevalent in the upper districts of Himachal and Garhwal. In Garhwal these caps are also known as Sikoli. [5] [6]

Material and Shape

Himachali caps are one of the popular arts and crafts of Himachal Pradesh. The Himachali cap is usually made of wool, and the shape is typically round or boat shape. [7]

Traditional wear

Nati dance being performed with traditional Kinnauri attire Kinnauri Nati dance.jpg
Nati dance being performed with traditional Kinnauri attire

Cap is an ingrained part of daily wear over there, and it is common during local festivities, religious functions and marriages. [8] Men in almost all hilly areas wear kurta pajamas and caps, and women wear churidar pajamas or salwar with kameez and dupatta (dhatu). [7] Himachali caps are the representation of cultural identity. People in Himachal consider the cap as a pride, [9] like a turban for Sikhs in Punjab. [10]

Political identity

I would like to thank Narendra Modi ji for using Himachal’s cap as a crown in Israel

Prem Kumar Dhumal tweeted for Narendra Modi when he dressed in Himachali cap with a maroon band during his visit to Israel. [11]

The colour of the Himachali caps has been an indicator of political loyalties in the hill state for a long period of time with Congress party leaders like Virbhadra Singh donning caps with green band and the rival BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal wearing a cap with maroon band. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himachal Pradesh</span> State in northern India

Himachal Pradesh is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterised by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks and extensive river systems. Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India and shares borders with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the north, and the states of Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest, Uttarakhand to the southeast and a very narrow border with Uttar Pradesh to the south. The state also shares an international border to the east with the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Himachal Pradesh is also known as Dev Bhoomi or Dev Bhumi, meaning 'Land of Gods' and Veer Bhoomi which means 'Land of the Brave'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandi district</span> A district in Himachal Pradesh, India

Mandi district is one of the central districts of Himachal Pradesh state in northern India. The town of Mandi is the headquarters of the district.

The Western Pahari languages are a group of Northern Indo-Aryan languages spoken in Northern India, primarily in the state of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu division, parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Punjab region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virbhadra Singh</span> Indian politician (1934–2021)

Virbhadra Singh was an Indian politician who served 6 terms and 21 years as the 4th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. A leader of the Indian National Congress party, he was elected 9 times as a Member of Legislative Assembly to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha and 5 times as Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha. Virbhadra Singh was popularly known by the honorific Raja Sahib. Singh holds the distinction of being the longest serving Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, holding the office from 1983 to 1990, from 1993 to 1998, from 2003 to 2007 and finally from 2012 to 2017, when he was succeeded by the BJP's Jai Ram Thakur. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1962, 1967, 1971, 1980 and 2009. Singh served as a Union Minister in the governments of Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. At the time of his demise, he was serving as an MLA from Arki constituency.

The North Indian state of Himachal Pradesh is a state that has remained largely uninfluenced by Western culture. Himachal Pradesh is a multi-religion practising, multicultural and multilingual state. Some of the most commonly spoken languages are Hindi and the various Pahari languages. The Hindu communities residing in Himachal include the Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. There is also a tribal population in the state which mainly comprises Gaddis, Kinnarms, Gujjars, Pangawals and Lahaulis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prem Kumar Dhumal</span> Indian politician

Prem Kumar Dhumal is an Indian politician and has twice served as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, from March 1998 to March 2003 and again from 1 January 2008 to 25 December 2012. He was the Bharatiya Janata Party's Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2017 Himachal Assembly Election, in which he lost his seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takri script</span> Writing system for some Indic languages

The Tākri script is an abugida writing system of the Brahmic family of scripts. It is derived from the Sharada script formerly employed for Kashmiri. It is the sister script of Laṇḍā scripts. It has another variant Dogra Takri employed in Jammu region. There are numerous varieties present throughout Himachal Pradesh. Until the late 1940s, the adapted version of the script was the official script for writing Dogri in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Throughout the history, different kingdoms of what now forms Himachal Pradesh used their own variety to maintain their records. The Takri script used in Sirmour in Himachal Pradesh and in the adjacent region of Jaunsar-Bawar in Uttarakhand has some distinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anurag Thakur</span> Indian politician (b. 1974)

Anurag Singh Thakur is an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party and a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. He is the current Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs and Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Second Modi ministry. His father, Prem Kumar Dhumal was a former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jai Ram Thakur</span> Indian politician (born 1965)

Jai Ram Thakur is an Indian politician, and was the Chief Minister of the state of Himachal Pradesh from 2017 to 2022. He is serving his sixth term as MLA in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, winning continuously since 1998 and has previously served as a Cabinet Minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party Government of Himachal Pradesh. Thakur was the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj from 2009 to 2012. He is serving as Leader of opposition in current legislative assembly of the state.He is elected to Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Seraj Assembly constituency of Mandi district. He won his first election in the year 1998 from now delimited constituency of Chachiot (Seraj).

The elections in 2012 were scheduled for seven Vidhan Sabhas and several local elections were also conducted. The 14th presidential election to elect the 13th president of the republic was also held in 2012. The tenure of the legislative assemblies of Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were to expire during the year. The Election Commission of India issued the dates for the elections in Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Goa to take place in the first quarter of the year. Whereas the elections were held in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat in the last quarter of the year.

The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, 2012 was held in Himachal Pradesh, India in 2012 after the five-year term of the incumbent state legislature and government expired following the assembly elections of 2007. The election chose 68 MLAs to the Vidhan Sabha. The Indian National Congress won a majority of seats as well as the popular vote, and Virbhadra Singh was reappointed as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh for his fourth term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahari Kinnauri language</span> Western Pahari language of northern India

Pahari Kinnauri, or Kinnauri Pahari, also known as Oras Boli, is a Western Pahari of northern India. It is spoken by different tribal groups in Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh; the language used to be commonly known as 'Kinnauri Tribal language', but this is now considered a derogatory term. It is not clear how distinct it is from other varieties of Himachali.

Elections to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly were held in 1998 to elect members of the 68 constituencies in Himachal Pradesh, India. The Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party won an equal number of seats, but the BJP managed to form the government by allying with the Himachal Vikas Congress, and Prem Kumar Dhumal was appointed as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. The number of constituencies was set as 68 by the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission of India.

Elections to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly were held in September 1993 to elect members of the 68 constituencies in Himachal Pradesh, India. The Indian National Congress won the popular vote and a majority of seats and its leader, Virbhadra Singh was appointed as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh for his second term. The number of constituencies was set as 68 by the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. P. Nadda</span> 11th and incumbent president of the Bharatiya Janata Party

Jagat Prakash "J.P." Nadda is an Indian lawyer and politician serving as the 11th national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2020 and the member of the Rajya Sabha representing Gujarat since 2024. A key decision maker of the BJP, he is a close aide to Narendra Modi. He was the BJP's working president from 2019 to 2020. Nadda also served as the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in the 1st Modi ministry from 2014 to 2019 and Parliamentary Board Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khimi Ram</span> Indian politician

Khimi Ram Sharma is an Indian politician from the federating unit of Himachal Pradesh of the state of India. He started his career as a Government school teacher serving in different sub divisions in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Before he has also worked as a labourer in Public Works Department in Kullu district. He has been elected onto dignified posts since he first contested his election as Zila parishad chairman in Kullu district. He served as MLA from Banjar assembly constituency of Kullu district twice since 2003 to 2012. He has also served as deputy speaker of Vidhan Sabha of Himachal Pradesh in 2007 and later he was elected as BJP chief of Himachal Pradesh. In 2011 he was in state cabinet as forest minister.

The key political players in Himachal Pradesh state in north-west India are the Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election</span> 2017 assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh

The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, 2017 was held on 9 November 2017 to elect all 68 members of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

The First Prem Kumar Dhumal ministry is the Council of Ministers in Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly headed by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

References

  1. Broadcasting, India Ministry of Information and (1956). Himachal Pradesh. Tourist Division, Ministry of Transport. p. 22. ISBN   978-81-7199-465-6.
  2. Shaikh, Ameen (2019-04-01). ShaikhSpear in Himachal. Mountain Walker Private Limited. p. 173. ISBN   978-81-940505-0-6.
  3. "Himachali Cap (Topi) -Buy Kullu, Shimla, Kinnauri and Malana Cap". HimalayanKraft. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  4. "The Himachali cap - Culture, legacy and heritage Issues and analysis @ abhipedia Powered by ABHIMANU IAS". abhipedia.abhimanu.com. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  5. Chitkara, M. G. (1999). World Government and Thakur Sen Negi. APH Publishing. p. 25. ISBN   978-81-7648-032-1.
  6. Verma, Shruti (2018-02-02). "The Himachali cap: Culture, legacy and heritage". HimVani. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  7. 1 2 Broadcasting, India Ministry of Information and (1956). Himachal Pradesh. Tourist Division, Ministry of Transport. pp. 128, 129. ISBN   978-81-7199-465-6.
  8. Verma, Shruti (2018-02-02). "The Himachali cap: Culture, legacy and heritage". HimVani. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  9. Wagner, Anja (2013-06-01). The Gaddi Beyond Pastoralism: Making Place in the Indian Himalayas. Berghahn Books. p. 34. ISBN   978-0-85745-930-5.
  10. ""Importance of turban in Sikhism" - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir". www.earlytimes.in. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  11. Gaurav Bisht (6 July 2017). "PM Modi's cap in Israel takes political hue in Himachal". Hindustan Times . Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  12. IANS (2017-10-29). "War of caps: State which flaunts political loyalty on its head (Himachal Polls)". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  13. SHARMA, NIDHI. "In Himachal Pradesh, it is maroon for BJP and green for Congress". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  14. Archana Phull (14 January 2018). "Cap likely on 'cap politics' in Himachal Pradesh". The Statesman . Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  15. "Cap's colour denotes political leanings!". Hindustan Times. 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  16. "As BJP-Congress battle heats up in Himachal Pradesh, people flaunt their political 'colours' on their headgear". Firstpost. 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  17. Service, Tribune News. "Short film '... Kissa Topi Ka' has message for voters". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  18. "Himachal topi leaves Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh fuming at function". The Indian Express. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2021-06-14.