Himachali Cap

Like a pagri, or the turban in other parts of India, the Himachali topi is a necessary fashion wear during marriages, festivals, religious functions, fairs and other local events. Traditionally, worn has a headgear to protect from the chilly winter winds, these colourful caps have percolated into cultural existence of the state to become the symbol of the state.
The topi though largely is worn in the regions of Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur and other higher areas of Himachal. The cap usually is accessorized with either a brooch, peacock feathers, marigold flowers or pretty tassles of dried flowers of the Himalayan Brahma Kamal (Lotus of Lord Brahma). Traditionally, it used to be embellished with the brilliantly coloured Monal (Impeyan pheasant) feathers until the bird was declared an endangered species. Usually worn by men, the cap is worn by women too in the Kinnaur region, where it is known as thepang. Women, elsewhere, in the state usually wear a dhaatu, a head scarf, typical to the state. The Himachali cap, historically is said to have spread from Kinnaur to parts of the erstwhile princely Bushahr state, from where it went to Kullu through some migrants and to other parts of Himachal.

1) The Kulluvi Cap, is typically worn by people of Kullu district. It is a global icon with tourists going crazy about it. It is a beautiful souvenir to take away from this region. The lappet of the Kulluvi topi comes with multi-coloured geometrical stripes. The Kulluvi cap is worn with its decorative lappet, according to OC Handa in his book ‘Textiles, Costumes, and Ornaments of the Western Himalaya,’ covering part of the forehead from right to left. (1st Image - Small kid named Vishi)

2) The Bushahri Cap, according to Handa, has a lappet “adorned with stripe of parrot-green velvet or shanil cloth.” The Bushahri cap, unlike the Kulluvi cap, he says is “worn with its lappet going from left to right. Interestingly, parrot-green was the ‘state colour’ of the erstwhile Bushahr state and the lappet of that colour on the cap symbolized it.” It is this cap that has become the symbol of the Congress, considering the state’s four-time Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh of the Congress party, hails from Sarahan and is the scion of the Bushahr royal family. ( 2nd Image - Adult man, Named Kishor Uniyal)