19th century Sikh turban on display in UK

A unique conical turban believed to have been worn by the Sikh warriors fighting for the British Army in the 19th century has been put on display at a museum in the UK.
Held by the British Museum for around a century, the turban has travelled to the Herbert Museum in Coventry in West Midlands region on loan from the British Museum in London as part of the 'Sikh Fortress Turban: A British Museum Tour' exhibition.
Known as 'Dastaar Boonga', the impenetrable headgear is distinct to the Sikh warriors of the Akali Nihangs and nearly 20 metre cloth was used to make it.

The tall fortress-like conical structure of the turban would allow warriors to store daggers, swords and metal throwing discs for easy use in battle.
The ornaments on this particular Sikh fortress turban include a modified Rattray Battalion badge, which suggests that it may have association with the British Army battalion raised by Captain Thomas Rattray in Lahore in 1856.
The British Raj rulers in India admired the fighting skills of Sikh warriors and recruited them into their army from 1850.

Turbans such as these were collected by the army's Generals as examples of Indian art and culture, and replicas would have been specially made for this market.

"We are privileged to display such a rare and cultural artefact from the British Museum to the Sikh community and wider audiences in Coventry," said the Herbert Museum's exhibitions officer Jessica Pinson.
"The exhibition gives the public a chance to learn about the history of the Sikh faith and celebrate the city's social diversity," she said.
The exhibition that started on August 24 will run until November 17.
"The display of the fortress turban at the British Museum generated enormous interest from visitors and we are delighted that the turban will now tour a number of venues in the UK," said John Orna-Ornstein, head of national programmes at the British Museum.