Himachali Cap

Designs of Himachali Cap.png
* Shimla(Bushari Topi), Kullu, Kinnaur(thepang) and other higher areas of Himachal 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.
* 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 cultura l existence of the state to become the symbol of the state.
* Crossed boundaries Prime Minister, Narendra Modi wore the Himachali crown during his visit to Israel.
modi-israel-hp-cap.png
* The topi was back in the news when President Ram Nath Kovind wore the maroons for the Republic Day celebration s on Rajpath in New Delhi.
* The bright colored, woolen Himachali cap
* Its colours today are seen in context of political affiliations.
* Part of folk culture
a-part-of-culture-cap.png

Features

• Green or crimson :
  Green or Crimson.png
• flat felt head
• with upturned brims that have a muslin covering and come in multiple colours.
• However, the greens or the crimson/deep red have over a period of time caught political connotations. (Sonia 2003 + matching shawl)
• The former while has become now the Congress symbol, the deep red, the BJP colour.
• Geometric patters
• Kulluvi topi are more vibrant
• Accessorized
• with either a brooch, peacock feathers, marigold (gainda fool)flowers or pretty tassles of dried flowers of the Himalayan Brahma Kamal (Lotus of Lord Brahma). Traditionally, it used to be
• brilliantly coloured Monal (Impeyan pheasant) feathers until the bird was declared an endangered species.

Tourism and Handicraft

• The perfect memento and gift from the state along with shawl

Miscellaneous

• 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.

Types of Himachali caps

• Primarily, there are 4 types of Himachali caps

The Kulluvi Cap

kulluvi-cap.png
tourists going crazy
multicoloured geometrical stripes
C Handa in his book 'Textiles, Costumes, and Ornaments of the Western Himalaya,'
* covering part of the forehead from right to left.

The Bushahri Cap

bushahri-Cap.png
The Bushahri Cap, according to Handa, has a lappet "adorned with stripe of parrotgreen velvet or shanil cloth."
worn with its lap going from left to right.
Interestingly, parrot*green was the 'state colour' of the erstwhile Bushahr state Virbhadra, sarahan, congress sign, 4 times CM

The Kinnauri Cap

kinnauri-cap.png
identical to the Bushahri cap
the only difference being in the colour of stripe on the lappet. In the Kinnauri cap, the lappet carries a velvet or shanil stripe of deep red or crimson colour
This colour has over a period of time now become the colour of affiliation to the BJP party.
Considering Kinnaur proximity to the Bushahr estate, and the general affiliation of the region with the Congress party, the locals usually are seen in the greens now.

The Lahauli Cap

lahauli-cap.png
The Lahauli Cap, worn in the Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh, is quite similar to its Kulluvi woolen cousin ,
"with only the difference that no extra treatment by way of ornamentation
* It remains as plain as rest of the cap portion."
lahauli-cap-vibrant.png