The Pheta (Marathi: फेटा) is a traditional Indian headgear consisting of a long piece of cloth wrapped around the head in a specific manner. Historically referred to as ushnish, this attire was worn by both men and women in ancient times. The headgear is known by various regional and stylistic names, including patko, safa, rumal, kosha, mandil, and mundaso.
Indian headgear is broadly categorized into two distinct types:
The nomenclature of the attire often changes based on the specific configuration of the drape:
Archaeological findings indicate the long-standing historical presence of this headgear across the Indian subcontinent:
The style, height, and tightness of the headgear vary significantly across different communities, professions, and geographical regions.
The Rajasthani variant typically utilizes a cloth measuring 15 to 20 cubits in length and 1 cubit in width. One end of the fabric is secured inside or fashioned into a crest (turo), while the opposing end is left to hang loosely. This specific style was historically used by Rajput warriors, subsequently becoming an integral component of military attire.
The rumal is a distinct variation of the headgear that uses a cloth measuring 12 cubits in length and width. It is wrapped securely around the ears without leaving any loose ends. This large-sized variation is highly prevalent in South India. In the Tamil language, it is designated as urumaali, which is considered the linguistic origin of the word rumal. The headgear worn by members of the Sikh community is also tied in a specialized manner over a rumal.
Historical chiefs (Sardars) and rulers of princely states wore distinct types of headgear that varied significantly in shape and appearance, often designated by names such as kosha and mandil.
The choice of fabric and style often reflects social roles, occupations, and occasions:
Many of Marathi movies that show historical Maharashtrian and Marathi figures, such as Netaji Palkar, Ayodhyecha Raja, Shree Pundalik, depict the character sporting a pheta in most of the scenes. Some Bollywood actors, including Abhishek Bachchan and Ritesh Deshmukh, wore the Pheta on their wedding day.[citation needed] Bachchan's father, Amitabh Bachchan, also wore a pheta to his son's wedding. The current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi is also known for wearing a pheta while addressing the nation on Independence Day.
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