Any clothing may be worn by a Sikh, provided it includes a turban (for males). A Sikh lady may tie a turban or cover her head with a scarf. Either mode is accepted as appropriate.
Sikh Rehat Maryada
Approved by the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The Supreme Religious Parliament of Sikhs, (constituted under the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925), and approved in August, 1936.
Guru Granth Sahib- commands of a Sikh to wear the turban. It states: sabat surat dastar sira (dastar means turban). (p. 1084)
Thou shall keep your shape intact (keep a beard) and wear turban upon your head.
Really with this Commandment no further formulation, authority or witness is required. This institutionalization of the turban is unimpeachable and absolute, In Guru Granth Sahib there are other references, which have both religions and social overtones, to turban such as:
Jeh sir rach rach badhat pag
So sir chunch sawareh kag (p. 330)
The head that one decks with a turban,
That head when it falls, the crows peak at to sharpen their beaks.
Khub teri pagri, methe tere bol
Dwarka nagri kahe ke magol (p. 727)
How beauteous is thy turban, how sweet thy tongue, O, wherefrom have come the Moghals in the city of my Lord. Main bhulawa pag da, mat maili hoe jae
Gahila ruh na jane, sir bhi mitti khae. (p.1379)
I was afraid lest my turban be soiled. But my careless Soul Knows not that even my head would roll in dust.
As a matter of practice, the trio kesh (long hair), Kanga (wooden comb) and turban (some call it a keshki) are all whom together. The Commandment poses the question. Who shall wear the turban? To whom is this Commandment directed? Well, the answer is that it is a Commandment for he who reads and follows the Guru Granth Sahib i.e. a Sikh, Then, the question is: Who is a Sikh? In this context a simple and direct answer is; Sikh is a person who keeps long (uncut) hair and wears a turban. Further, the practice or the profession of a Sikh begins with the adherence of the turban requirement ascending into baptism.
Therefore, it is understood that the right of the turban is granted only to a Sikh keeping the long hair, (Others may and sometimes do wear the turban but for them it is not a religious requirement). Bhai Per held Singh writes that Guru Gobind Singh said:
Rehani rahe so Sikh mera Wuh sahib main us ka chera (Rehatname, 1974, p. 56) (ed. Piara Singh Padam)
He who honors the code of conduct is my Sikh He is my master, i am his disciple.
In the Rehat name quoted above (p. 140), it is recorded that Guru Gobind Singh said: Rehat
banena Singh kahawe, rehat bane dar chotan khae i.e. who does not honor code of conduct cannot claim to be a Singh i.e. a Sikh and such a person will not be acceptable to the Lord. The Master further said: Rehat paire muj ko, Sikh piara nahin i.e. I love that Sikh who honors code of conduct.
It must be noted that in this quest for the establishment of the turban in the R.C.M.P. uniform, the right for only the Kesdhari i.e. those supporting long hair to wear the turban, is demanded. Books other than the Guru Granth Sahib also stipulate the requirement for a Sikh to wear a turban. This literature which is of a seminal nature, comprising of Rehatnama and Rehat
Maryada, lit codes of conduct. In these books, the 5-Ks have vividly been pronounced to be the emblems of Sikhism and so has the inseparability of the turban from Sikhs attire.
The Rehat namas are by respected contemporaries of Guru Gobind Singh.
The Rehat Maryada has been laid down by Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee the supreme religious body of the Sikhs.
The Tankha nama, (Code of Punishment) one of the basic Rehat namas is by Bhai Nand Lal. Bhai Nand Lal is the most reverend Sikh of the Court of the 10th Prophet of Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh.
Bhai Nand Lal recorded utterances of the 10th Prophet and in his composition called Tankha nama states that the following is the answer of Guru Gobind Singh to a question raised in relation to the turban: these then are personal instructions of the Guru:
Kangha done wagat karpagchune kar bandhi
Comb your hair twice daily tic your turban beautifully after fluffing (i.e. retie turban afresh each time).
This really states that the turban is not be slipped on like a hat i. e, a preformed article, There are injunctions against the wearing of a hat too.
The place of Bhai Nand Lal may well be appreciated from the fact that his writings and that of Bhai Gurdas (the scriber of the Sikh Bible) together with the writings: of Guru Gobind Singh and the Sikh Bible may only be recited from in the Golden Temple.
Again, Ratan Singh Bhango in Prach in Panth Prakash states: Thus the Guru (Gobind Singh) reasoned and from that thought proceeded to action. His followers were to emerge as splendid warriors, their uncut hair, bound turbans and as warriors all were to bear the name Singh (lion).
Bhango is a historian and a prolific writer. His monumental writings are authentic works on Sikhism.
The Rehatnama of Prahlad Singh forbids the wearing of a hat and emphasizes the wearing of a turban. He states that Hoi Sikh sir topi dhere Sat j anam kushti hoe mare
A Sikh who wears a cap he shall seven times be born a leper. And: Pag utar parsad jo have So Sikh kumbi narak sidhavi.
That Sikh who eats food with our turban Shall find himself destined for hell.
Prahlad Singh was the recorder at the Royal Court of Guru Gohind singh
The Rehatnama of Chaupa Singh repeatedly mentions the turban and states:
A kesa- dhari Sikh is not permitted to wear a cap or a lion cloth, And Section d (iii) states
(1) A turban must be freely ted each time it is put on.
(2) A Kesdhari Sikh must never use a waist cloth as a turban.
(3) A Gur Sikh must never pull another Sikhs turban nor knock it from his head. If his own turban falls to the ground he must apologize (to the congregation),
(4)The turban should not be removed before eating
(5) A turban should be worn while sleeping.
A Sikh must never insult another Sikh by making rude gestures, pulling his turban, knocking of his turban, pulling the hair of his head or grasping his beard.
Section 7(b) y says.
A guru-Sikh should remove his shoes before eating but not his turban. (The Chaupa Singh Rehatnama, ed. Prof. W.H. McLeod University of Otago, N.Z.). Chaupa Singh was the intimate member of the 10th Gurus retinue.
The Rehatnama of Bhai Daya Singh (ed. Piara Singh Padam, p. S 7 & p. 62) states that a baptized Sikh must wear a turban. If two Sikhs quarrel and remove the turban of another, the former would pay 2-1/2annas while the later 1 1/4 Anna as fine, (Anna’s reflect the coinage and is a heavy fine in relative terms).
Bhai Daya Singh is the first of the five Beloved Sikhs and was baptized by Guru Gobind Singh himself on April 13, 1699.
Manohar Singh Bal,
Secretary Ontario Council of Sikhs
Article extracted from this publication >> April 1, 1994
