When I was preparing for my trip to India the first time, I was curious about what I should wear. I knew it was hot here and I wanted to bring a hat, but I also didn’t want to look out of place, so I was curious if men wear hats in India?
Men do wear hats in India like a gamucha or a thin scarf-like cloth wrapped around their head. Muslim men wear a taqiya (small white cap). Sikh men wear a pagri (turban). You can find men wearing Western-style hats too like baseball caps, stocking caps, straw hats, and more.
If you’re looking for some ideas for hats to wear on your trip to India, here are the common styles and I’ve included 32 photos of people in India that I took…
Gamucha
Gamucha has a simple meaning and purpose. Ga- means “body” and “-mucha means “wipe.”
This thin, often checkered cloth, is wrapped around the head and helps keep the sun and sweat off. I see farmers wearing them and men in the market carrying produce wearing them mostly, where they seem to be essential to their work. I see the sadhus (or holy men) wearing them too.
Many people wear them though, especially when it gets hot.
Taqiyah (Skull cap)
Taqiyah (also spelled takiyah or tagiya) is a round skullcap. Many people wear a white one but you can find them in many colors.
It’s common Muslim headwear as it is thought best to keep your head covered.
Gandhi also wore the cap for a period of two years (1920-1921), and it was popularly wore by political leaders. You can see that Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, often wore it.
Pagri (Turban)
Indian’s call a turban a pagri. It’s an important headwear for Sikhs and some other Indians.
There are a number of different styles. Sikh people wear them as an outward symbol of their faith, and call it a dastar.
Baseball Caps, Stocking Caps and more
People wear all types of hats though, and if you’re a tourist, you’ll be accepted in anything you decide to wear.
A friend wore an Australia-style wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off.
Ceremonial Hats
India has a number of different style hats for different ceremonies.
Final Words
Wearing a hat is a great idea in India, because the sun is so hot. Plus, many of the locals wear a variety of styles such as a scarf-like cloth called a gamucha, a turban, or a skull cap. You could also wear a baseball cap, winter stocking cap, or beach-style straw hat.
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