Sikha
Encyclopedia
The sikha or shikha is a Sanskrit
word that refers to a long tuft, or lock of hair
left on top or on the back of the shaven head of a male Orthodox
Hindu
. Though traditionally all Hindu
s were required to wear a śikhā, today it is seen mainly among Brahmacharya
, 'celibate monks' and temple priests.
or ritual known as the chudakarana
. A lock of hair is left at the crown (sahasrara
). Unlike most other eastern cultures (including ancient Egypt
) where a coming-of-age ceremony removed childhood locks of hair similar to the śikhā (e.g. a forelock
or pigtails in China, a topknot
in Thailand, a sidelock in Egypt etc.) in India this prepubescent hairstyle is left to grow throughout the man's life, though usually only the most orthodox religious men will continue this hairstyle.
The śikhā is tied back or knotted to perform religious rites. Only funerals and death anniversaries are performed with the śikhā untied or with dishevelled hair. Dishevelled hair is considered inauspicious, and represents times of great sorrow or calamity. In Hindu scripture, Draupadi
took an oath in the assembly of the Kuru
s after she was molested by Dushasana
that she would remain with dishevelled hair until the enemies were properly revenged. Similarly, Chanakya
is said to have taken an oath to leave his śikhā untied until he humbles the Nanda
kings who insulted him.
word for śikhā is kudumi and traditionally it is represented in two styles. The most common kudumi (called Pin Kudumi) is identical to the śikhā, with a knotted lock of hair on the crown of the head and the rest of the hair shaved off.
Mun-Kudumi is a style where the hair is grown long in the front and knotted to the forehead. This hairstyle was popular among earlier Brahmin migrant groups to South India, such as the Chozhiya, Dikshitar
, and Namboothiri. The Nair
ruling class of Kerala, though not Brahmin, also sported this style.
The technique used to tie the hair into a Kudumi is as follows: The lengthy hair can be tied with the help of left thumb and index fingers. You roll up the lock of hair over the left thumb and index fingers put together by your right hand till you reach the tail end. Then hold the tail end of hair by the left thumb and index fingers and pull out the fingers with the tail end of the hair. You get the knot. After some little practice you will get a tight and neat knot.
. It is also an indication of cleanliness, as well as personal sacrifice to God. According to Smriti Shastras, it is mandatory for all Hindus to keep śikhā and the first three twice-born or dvija castes (brahmin
s) to wear yajnopavita (sacred thread), also called janeu, pool nool, or paita.
It has been said that the śikhā allows God to pull one to heaven, or at least from this material world of maya (illusion)
, but this belief may stem from an Islamic superstition (see below under 'Similar hairstyles'), although as it reads in the Caitanya Caritamrita:
As Krishnadasa was a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (an incarnation
of the god Krishna
), he most likely would have kept the Vaishnava śikhā hairstyle, so the idea of God using hair as a handle is a Hindu concept too it seems.
In his autobiography, Mohandas K. Gandhi writes about his encounter with an orthodox Hindu:
The śikhā was one of the few symbols of Hindus that transcended caste, language or regional barriers. Although there were variations of the style of sikha amongst communities, it was obligatory for all males.
is a tradition of Hinduism
, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu
or his associated Avatar
s, principally as Rama
and Krishna
, as the original and supreme God
.
In appearance, Vaishnavas - especially the monks - are usually easily recognizable by their particular forehead markings (tilak) and śikhā.
In Western countries, the śikhā hairstyle is often seen worn by adherents of the Hare Krishna movement, a Gaudiya Vaishnava school founded by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
.
Srila Prabhupada often referred to the śikhā as a "flag", a term which illustrates the idea that the body is a temple with a flag on top.
Srila Prabhupada felt that the śikhā hairstyle was an important facet of his Krishna Consciousness movement, indeed a vital facet:
Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Brahmananda - 14 October 1967.
Letter to Brahmananda - Seattle 6 October 1968.
Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Syamasundara dasa – 8 April 1974.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.28.19 - Nairobi, October 29, 1975.
In ISKCON, as in Gaudiya Vaishnavaism, there are certain rules regarding the appearance of the śikhā.
Gaudiya Vaishnavas traditionally keep the sikha about the size of a calf's hoofprint, approximately 1.5 inches (5 – 6 cm) in diameter.
Srila Prabhupada mentioned this in a conversation with some of his disciples in Hawai'i:
May 6, 1972, Hawaii; Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta V, page 93.
Sir Thomas Herbert, 1st Baronet (1606–1682) described a similar hairstyle worn by Persians in his book 'Travels in Persia':
In 'Passages of Eastern Travel', Harper's magazine, 1856, p. 197, an American traveller wrote:
Riffian
(Berber
) men of Morocco
had the custom of shaving the head but leaving a single lock of hair
on either the crown, left, or right side of the head, so that the angel Azrael
is able "...to pull them up to heaven on the Last Day."
High-born Chamorri men of the indigenous Chamorro people of the Mariana Islands
also wore a hairstyle similar to the śikhā. (see statues of Chief Gadao
or Chief Quipuha in Chief Quipuha Park
, Paseo de Susana peninsula, Agana, Guam.)
Later, particularly on the island of Guam
, this śikhā-like top-knot hairstyle became somewhat of a political statement for young men:
Another śikhā-like hairstyle existed in eastern Europe. Sviatoslav I of Kiev
reportedly wore a scalplock, similar to the śikhā, to signify his 'noble birth'.
The oseledets
, or khokhol
hairstyle of the Ukrainian Cossacks, or Zaporozhians, was quite similar to the śikhā, although it may sometimes have been situated not at the crown, but towards the front of the head. Indeed, another Ukrainian word for this particular hairstyle is чуприна, chupryna meaning 'forelock'. According to legend, Zaporozhians would grow their scalplocks to provide "...a handle by which the enemy could carry a Cossack's head, should he succeed in severing it."
The scalplock of many Native American
tribes (particularly of the eastern woodlands, such as the Huron) is very similar in appearance to the śikhā, although like the Cossack oseledets, a much different meaning was applied to this hairstyle compared to the Hindu śikhā.
The śikhā may also be referred to as 'choti', 'kudumi' or 'chuda'. It should not be confused with the rattail (haircut)
nor the mullet
hairstyle, both popularized in the 1980s.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word that refers to a long tuft, or lock of hair
Lock of hair
A lock of hair is a piece or pieces of hair that has been cut from, or remains singly on, a human head, most commonly bunched or tied together in some way...
left on top or on the back of the shaven head of a male Orthodox
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
. Though traditionally all Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s were required to wear a śikhā, today it is seen mainly among Brahmacharya
Brahmacharya
Brahmacharya is one of the four stages of life in an age-based social system as laid out in the Manu Smrti and later Classical Sanskrit texts in Hinduism. It refers to an educational period of 14–20 years which starts before the age of puberty. During this time the traditional vedic sciences are...
, 'celibate monks' and temple priests.
How it is done
Traditionally, Hindu men shave off all their hair as a child in a saṃskāraSamskara
Samskara may refer to:* Saṃskāra, Hindu rites* Saṃskāra , in Buddhism, mental and volitional formations* Samskara , a technique in ayurvedic medicine...
or ritual known as the chudakarana
Chudakarana
The Chudakarana or the Mundana , is the eighth of the sixteen Hindu saṃskāras , in which a child receives his/her first haircut....
. A lock of hair is left at the crown (sahasrara
Sahasrara
Sahasrara/ Sahastrara is the seventh primary chakra according to Hindu tradition.-Location:Sahasrara is either located at the top of the head in that one area, or a little way above it .-Appearance:Sahasrara is described with 1,000 multi-coloured petals which are arranged in 20 layers each of them...
). Unlike most other eastern cultures (including ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
) where a coming-of-age ceremony removed childhood locks of hair similar to the śikhā (e.g. a forelock
Forelock
The forelock or foretop is a part of a horse's mane, that grows from the animal's poll and falls between the ears and onto the forehead...
or pigtails in China, a topknot
Topknot
Topknot may refer to:* A hairstyle or haircut, historically prevalent in Asia:**Chonmage, a traditional Japanese haircut worn by men**Sangtu, a knot of hair that married men of the Joseon Dynasty wore in Korea.**Sikha, worn by orthodox Hindus....
in Thailand, a sidelock in Egypt etc.) in India this prepubescent hairstyle is left to grow throughout the man's life, though usually only the most orthodox religious men will continue this hairstyle.
The śikhā is tied back or knotted to perform religious rites. Only funerals and death anniversaries are performed with the śikhā untied or with dishevelled hair. Dishevelled hair is considered inauspicious, and represents times of great sorrow or calamity. In Hindu scripture, Draupadi
Draupadi
In the epic Mahābhārata, Draupadi, also known as ' is the "emerged" daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes the queen of Indraprastha...
took an oath in the assembly of the Kuru
Kuru Kingdom
Kuru was the name of an ancient kingdom in Vedic India, and later a republican Mahajanapada state. The kingdom was located in the area of modern Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh in India. They formed the first political center of the of the Vedic India, with its capital at Hastinapur. It...
s after she was molested by Dushasana
Dushasana
Dushasana was the second son of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari in the epic Mahābhārata, and the younger brother of Duryodhana.-Birth and development:...
that she would remain with dishevelled hair until the enemies were properly revenged. Similarly, Chanakya
Chanakya
Chānakya was a teacher to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta , and the first Indian emperor generally considered to be the architect of his rise to power. Traditionally, Chanakya is also identified by the names Kautilya and VishnuGupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise...
is said to have taken an oath to leave his śikhā untied until he humbles the Nanda
Nanda
Nanda is a surname of Punjabis . Nanda is a Tarkhan , Ahluwalia and Kamboj surname. All the clans of Tarkhan , Lohar, Gujjar, Kamboj, Ahluwalia tribes have a close genetic and ancestral relationship with each other, and together they form the Khatri/Rajput caste.-Among Kamboj people:*Nanda is a...
kings who insulted him.
Tying a śikhā as done in South India
The TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
word for śikhā is kudumi and traditionally it is represented in two styles. The most common kudumi (called Pin Kudumi) is identical to the śikhā, with a knotted lock of hair on the crown of the head and the rest of the hair shaved off.
Mun-Kudumi is a style where the hair is grown long in the front and knotted to the forehead. This hairstyle was popular among earlier Brahmin migrant groups to South India, such as the Chozhiya, Dikshitar
Dikshitar
Dīkshitars or Thillai Vazh Anthaanar are a sub-sect of the Iyer community of Tamil Nadu who are based mainly in the town of Chidambaram and according to legend, have descended from three thousands individuals who migrated from Varanasi. They wear their kudumi...
, and Namboothiri. The Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
ruling class of Kerala, though not Brahmin, also sported this style.
The technique used to tie the hair into a Kudumi is as follows: The lengthy hair can be tied with the help of left thumb and index fingers. You roll up the lock of hair over the left thumb and index fingers put together by your right hand till you reach the tail end. Then hold the tail end of hair by the left thumb and index fingers and pull out the fingers with the tail end of the hair. You get the knot. After some little practice you will get a tight and neat knot.
Significance of śikhā in Hinduism
The śikhā reportedly signifies one-pointed (ekanta) focus on a spiritual goal, and devotion to GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. It is also an indication of cleanliness, as well as personal sacrifice to God. According to Smriti Shastras, it is mandatory for all Hindus to keep śikhā and the first three twice-born or dvija castes (brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s) to wear yajnopavita (sacred thread), also called janeu, pool nool, or paita.
It has been said that the śikhā allows God to pull one to heaven, or at least from this material world of maya (illusion)
Maya (illusion)
Maya , in Indian religions, has multiple meanings, usually quoted as "illusion", centered on the fact that we do not experience the environment itself but rather a projection of it, created by us. Maya is the principal deity that manifests, perpetuates and governs the illusion and dream of duality...
, but this belief may stem from an Islamic superstition (see below under 'Similar hairstyles'), although as it reads in the Caitanya Caritamrita:
- "While there was much roaring and crying at the Bhattathari community, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu grabbed Krishnadasa by the hair and took him away."
As Krishnadasa was a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (an incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of the god Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
), he most likely would have kept the Vaishnava śikhā hairstyle, so the idea of God using hair as a handle is a Hindu concept too it seems.
In his autobiography, Mohandas K. Gandhi writes about his encounter with an orthodox Hindu:
- "He was pained to miss the shikha (tuft of hair) on my head and the sacred thread about my neck and said: 'It pains me to see you, a believing Hindu, going without a sacred thread and the shikha. These are the two external symbols of Hinduism and every Hindu ought to wear them.' ... [T]he shikha was considered obligatory by elders. On the eve of my going to England, however, I got rid of the shikha, lest when I was bareheaded it should expose me to ridicule and make me look, as I then thought, a barbarian in the eyes of the Englishmen. In fact this cowardly feeling carried me so far that in South Africa I got my cousin Chhaganlal Gandhi, who was religiously wearing the shikha, to do away with it. I feared that it might come in the way of his public work and so, even at the risk of paining him, I made him get rid of it. "(WikiSource)
The śikhā was one of the few symbols of Hindus that transcended caste, language or regional barriers. Although there were variations of the style of sikha amongst communities, it was obligatory for all males.
Significance of śikhā in Vaishnavaism
VaishnavismVaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
is a tradition of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
or his associated Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
s, principally as Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, as the original and supreme God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
In appearance, Vaishnavas - especially the monks - are usually easily recognizable by their particular forehead markings (tilak) and śikhā.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a Gaudiya Vaishnava teacher and the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna Movement"...
.
Srila Prabhupada often referred to the śikhā as a "flag", a term which illustrates the idea that the body is a temple with a flag on top.
Srila Prabhupada felt that the śikhā hairstyle was an important facet of his Krishna Consciousness movement, indeed a vital facet:
- "I have no objection if members of the Society dress like nice American gentlemen; but in all circumstances a devotee cannot avoid tilak, flag on head, and beads on neck. These are essential features of a Vaisnava."
Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Brahmananda - 14 October 1967.
- "...we must have always our tilak and sikha and there is no compromise for this purpose."
Letter to Brahmananda - Seattle 6 October 1968.
- "According to sastra anyone who wears tilaka and sikha and kunti over and above the Vaisnava dress or Vaisnava sannyasi must be accepted [as a bona fide member of Vedic culture] especially while chanting Hare Krishna mantra with bead bags."
Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Syamasundara dasa – 8 April 1974.
- "The Vaisnavas, with tilaka, with kunti, with chanting beads, as soon as you see... And practically you know. As soon as they see these Hare Krsna movement people, they also chant, "Hare Krsna," giving a chance to the others. The dress is also required. You should be always equipped with tilaka, kunti, and sikha, sutra. Then, as soon as a common man sees, "Oh, here is a Hare Krsna man. Hare Krsna," he'll chant. Automatically you give a chance to chant Hare Krsna. So this is required. The foolish rascals, they say that "What is the necessity of this, that?" No. This is necessity. You must always remain dressed like a Vaisnava. That is necessity."
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.28.19 - Nairobi, October 29, 1975.
In ISKCON, as in Gaudiya Vaishnavaism, there are certain rules regarding the appearance of the śikhā.
Gaudiya Vaishnavas traditionally keep the sikha about the size of a calf's hoofprint, approximately 1.5 inches (5 – 6 cm) in diameter.
Srila Prabhupada mentioned this in a conversation with some of his disciples in Hawai'i:
- "Gaudiya Vaisnava sikha is an inch and a half across, no bigger. Bigger sikha means another sampradayaSampradayaIn Hinduism, a sampradaya can be translated as ‘tradition’ or a ‘religious system’, although the word commands much more respect and power in the Indian context than its translations in English does...
. And they have to be knotted."
May 6, 1972, Hawaii; Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta V, page 93.
Similar hairstyles
The belief that the śikhā "allows God to easily pull one to paradise" may in fact be an Islamic, or at least an Arabian superstition, as the following passages may illustrate:Sir Thomas Herbert, 1st Baronet (1606–1682) described a similar hairstyle worn by Persians in his book 'Travels in Persia':
- "The Persians allow no part of their body hair except the upper lip, which they wear long and thick and turning downwards; as also a lock upon the crown of the head, by which they are made to believe their Prophet will at Resurrection lift them into paradise. Elsewhere their head is shaven or made incapable of hair by the oil dowae (daway) being thrice anointed. This had been made the mode of the Oriental people since the pomulgation of the alcoran (Al Quran), introduced and first imposed by the Arabians."
In 'Passages of Eastern Travel', Harper's magazine, 1856, p. 197, an American traveller wrote:
- "All Arabs, men and boys, have their heads shaved, leaving only a scalp lock, said by some to be left in imitation of the Prophet, who wore his own thus; and by others said to be for the convenience of the angel who will pull them out of the graves when the day of rising shall come."
Riffian
Riffian people
The Rifians are a Berber people who inhabit the Rif in northern Morocco. The mother tongue of the Rifians is called Rifian, though many speak Moroccan Arabic, Spanish or French as second or third languages.-Physical anthropology:...
(Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
) men of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
had the custom of shaving the head but leaving a single lock of hair
Lock of hair
A lock of hair is a piece or pieces of hair that has been cut from, or remains singly on, a human head, most commonly bunched or tied together in some way...
on either the crown, left, or right side of the head, so that the angel Azrael
Azrael
Azrael is the name of the Archangel of Death in some extrabiblical traditions. He is also the angel of death in Islamic theology and Sikhism. It is an English form of the Arabic name ʿIzrāʾīl or Azra'eil , the name traditionally attributed to the angel of death in some sects of Islam and Sikhism,...
is able "...to pull them up to heaven on the Last Day."
High-born Chamorri men of the indigenous Chamorro people of the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
also wore a hairstyle similar to the śikhā. (see statues of Chief Gadao
Gadao
Gadao is a legendary chief of the village of Inarajan in southern Guam. In the Chamorro language of ancient Guam, he would have had the title maga'lahi as a high-ranking male. In addition to being featured in legend, he is the namesake of Inarajan's Chief Gadao’s Cave containing ancient cave...
or Chief Quipuha in Chief Quipuha Park
Chief Quipuha Park
Chief Quipuha Park is located on the Paseo de Susana peninsula, in the north of the city of Agana, Guam. Like the rest of the peninsula, it was created after World War II, based on bulldozed debris from the ruined city. It is named for Chief Quipuha, the highest ranking chief in the area at the...
, Paseo de Susana peninsula, Agana, Guam.)
Later, particularly on the island of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, this śikhā-like top-knot hairstyle became somewhat of a political statement for young men:
- "In the late 1980s, early 1990s there was a resurgence of the top-knot hair style. One of our senators now, before he became a 'certified' politician, was sort of a radical activist. He first he started out with a group called the Chamorro Che‘lu’s. Che‘lu means 'brother' or 'sister,' but his group, they were all young men, and really macho. They all had their hair cut to have a top-knot. And that fueled a debate: 'Do I have to have a top-knot in order to be a Chamorro?' Some guys would wear their hair long and you wouldn’t know it was a top-knot until they pulled it up and you could see that they shaved the whole underpart. It was really threatening, and made some people really nervous. But the fact that such people are now senators and they tend to get a lot of votes, that’s a sign to me that people are really taking issues of culture a lot more seriously, at least the grass roots population."
Another śikhā-like hairstyle existed in eastern Europe. Sviatoslav I of Kiev
Sviatoslav I of Kiev
Sviatoslav I Igorevich ; , also spelled Svyatoslav, was a prince of Rus...
reportedly wore a scalplock, similar to the śikhā, to signify his 'noble birth'.
The oseledets
Oseledets
Chupryna or Oseledets is the traditional Ukrainian Cossack haircut. It describes a style of man's haircut that features a lock of hair sprouting from the top or the front of an otherwise closely shaven head. This military haicut was of Circassian or Turkish origin...
, or khokhol
Khokhol
Khokhol is a term used to describe the typical Ukrainian cossack style of haircut that features a lock of hair sprouting from the top or the front of an otherwise closely shaven head...
hairstyle of the Ukrainian Cossacks, or Zaporozhians, was quite similar to the śikhā, although it may sometimes have been situated not at the crown, but towards the front of the head. Indeed, another Ukrainian word for this particular hairstyle is чуприна, chupryna meaning 'forelock'. According to legend, Zaporozhians would grow their scalplocks to provide "...a handle by which the enemy could carry a Cossack's head, should he succeed in severing it."
The scalplock of many Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes (particularly of the eastern woodlands, such as the Huron) is very similar in appearance to the śikhā, although like the Cossack oseledets, a much different meaning was applied to this hairstyle compared to the Hindu śikhā.
The śikhā may also be referred to as 'choti', 'kudumi' or 'chuda'. It should not be confused with the rattail (haircut)
Rattail (haircut)
A rattail is a hair style that is characterized by a long "tail"-like element of hair growing downward from the back of the head. The rattail usually curls naturally; however, it can be braided, treated as a dread, permed, straightened, or curled with an iron...
nor the mullet
Mullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...
hairstyle, both popularized in the 1980s.
External links
- http://www.oldandsold.com/books/hindu/hindu-6.shtml An excellent website for further information on śikhā.
- http://www.harekrishnatemple.com/bhakta/index.html An ISKCON handbook for monks of Krsna.
- http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/connections/img/god-sikha.jpg A deity with śikhā from Nevali CoriNevali CoriNevalı Çori was an early Neolithic settlement on the middle Euphrates, in the province of Şanlıurfa , eastern Turkey. The site is famous for having revealed some of the world's most ancient known temples and monumental sculpture...
(image). - http://www.vnn.org/world/WD9903/sikha2.gif A boy with śikhā, sculpture, Notre DameNotre Dame de ParisNotre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(image). - http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/4regs/sikha.gif A Vaishnava with śikhā (image).
- http://naumchayer.com/images/ukraine/cossack.jpg Ukrainian cossack with the śikhā-like oseledets (image).
- http://www.pacificworlds.com/guam/onwards/commun.cfm Contains images of Chief Quipuha of Guam and his top-knot.
