The most distinctive feature of a Rajput's dress was formerly his
turban; the more voluminous and heavy this was, the greater distinction
attached to the bearer. The cloth was wound in many folds above the
head, or cocked over one ear as a special mark of pride. An English
gentleman once remarked to the minister of the Rao of Cutch on the
size and weight of his turban, when the latter replied, 'Oh, this is
nothing, it only weighs fifteen pounds.' [481] A considerable reverence
attached to the turban, probably because it was the covering of the
head, the seat of life, and the exchanging of turbans was the mark of
the closest friendship. On one occasion Shah Jahan, before he came
to the throne of Delhi, changed turbans with the Rana of Mewar as a
mark of amity. Shah Jahan's turban was still preserved at Udaipur,
and seen there by Colonel Tod in 1820. They also wore the beard and
moustaches very long and full, the moustache either drooping far
below the chin, or being twisted out stiffly on each side to impart
an aspect of fierceness. Many Rajputs considered it a disgrace to
have grey beards or moustaches, and these were accustomed to dye them
with a preparation of indigo. Thus dyed, however, after a few days
the beard and moustache assumed a purple tint, and finally faded to a
pale plum colour, far from being either deceptive or ornamental. The
process of dyeing was said to be tedious, and the artist compelled
his patient to sit many hours under the indigo treatment with his
head wrapped up in plantain leaves. [482] During the Muhammadan wars,
however, the Rajputs gave up their custom of wearing beards in order
to be distinguished from Moslems, and now, as a rule, do not retain
them, while most of them have also discarded the long moustaches
and large turbans. In battle, especially when they expected to die,
the Rajputs wore saffron-coloured robes as at a wedding. At the same
time their wives frequently performed _sati_, and the idea was perhaps
that they looked on their deaths as the occasion of a fresh bridal
in the warrior's Valhalla. Women wear skirts and shoulder-cloths,
and in Rajputana they have bangles of ivory or bone instead of the
ordinary glass, sometimes covering the arm from the shoulders to the
wrist. Their other ornaments should be of gold if possible, but the
rule is not strictly observed, and silver and baser metals are worn.