The cap or _topi_ is not bound round the head, but is placed upon it. It is made of cut and sewn cloth. Some varieties are _dopallari_, a skull-cap; _kishtinuma_, or boat-shaped cap; _goltopi_, a round cap of the kind known in England as "pork-pie"; _bezwi_, or egg-shaped cap; _sigoshia_, or three-cornered cap; _chaugoshia_, or four-cornered cap; _tajdar_, or crown-shaped cap; &c. Many other caps are named after the locality of manufacture or some peculiarity of make, e.g. _Kashmire-kitopi_; _jhalardar_, fringed cap, &c.
A form of cap much worn in Bengal and western India is known as _Irani kullah_, or Persian cap. It is made of goatskin and is shaped like a _tarbush_ but has no tassel. The cap worn in cold weather is called _top_, _topa_, or _kantop_ (ear-cover) (Plate I. fig. 2); these are sometimes padded with cotton. Caps are much worn by Mussulmans of Delhi, Agra, Lucknow and other cities of the United provinces.
The _tarbush_ or _turki-topi_ was introduced into India by Sir Sayyid Ahmad (Plate I. fig. 3). It must not be confused with the Moorish "fez," which is skull-shaped. The _tarbush_ is of Greek origin and was adopted by Sultan Mahmud of Turkey in the early part of the 19th century. To remove the head-dress of whatever kind is, in the East, an act of discourtesy; to strike it off is a deep insult.
_Clothing._--The following rules from the _hadith_ or traditional sayings of the prophet are noteworthy:--"Wear white garments, for verily they are full of cleanliness, and pleasant to the eye." "It is lawful for the woman of my people to clothe herself in silken garments, and to wear ornaments of gold; but it is forbidden to man: any man who shall wear silken garments in this world, shall not wear them in the next." "God will not be merciful to him who through vanity wears long trousers" (i.e. reaching below the ankle). The foregoing rules are now only observed by the ultra-orthodox, such as the Wahabi sect and by ulemas, or learned elderly men. The Mogul court of Delhi, especially during the reign of Mahommed Shah, nicknamed _Rangila_ or the "dandy," greatly influenced change in these matters. Coloured clothing, gold ornaments and silken raiment began to be worn commonly by Mussulman men in his reign.