Bohra Caps of Madhya Pradesh

Bohra caps also referred to as the sar the kataj,is a part of man’s attire along with their pyjama, kameez and saaya in Madhya Pradesh. It is worn by men of Bohra community of Shia Muslims. When going to mosque, praying, attending any religious ceremony, men of Bohra community (especially the younger boys) are required to wear these caps.

These caps are made with crochet technique by pulling loops of yarns through other loops, using  a special hook. For this, the construction of cap is done on a plastic or aluminum vessel to achieve the desired shape.Rich gold and white color is used in this technique with fine and close knitting. The caps worn by Sheikh (prosperous gentleman of the religious order) have floral motifs and are pointed at the top, making it look identical to the mosque,while the caps worn by others are narrow at the top and wide at the base with simple textured surface.

These caps generally have three parts – chanda, deewar and makki. Chanda is the top most part of the cap where the crocheting starts. The portion perpendicular to chanda is deewar, where the height of the cap starts. Various type of ornamentation can be done on deewar such as jaali, bharavdar work, buta or bel, similar to the motifs on the mosque.The finishing line is called as makki. Alternate use of black and zari cords are done while finishing. The piece crochet hook and threads along with a vessel to lend to the cap shape are required for the crochet process.