Out of many customs that are followed by Sikhs, the “Turban” stands as the most prominent one. Wearing a turban is considered a mark of self-respect to the religion and God. Removing the turban was an act of submission. Moreover, in many special occasions, we can see a person is honored by tying a turban to their head. To find the story behind this, we have to get back to the history. This was forcing an act of submission on the populace. Sikhs don’t submit to anybody but God, so they never removed the turban.
Coming to the details, prominent Sikh guru, Bhai Jivan Singh (then Bhai Jaita) risked his life to recover the severed head of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji after the Guru’s Martyrdom. On presenting the head to Guru Gobind Singh (then Gobind Rai), Bhai Jivan Singh narrated to Guruji how the Sikh devotees watched the martyrdom quietly and helplessly for fear of death. The young Guru Gobind Singh then contemplated,
“..why the Sikhs of Delhi did not stand by their Guru; why they did not feel ashamed at their inaction; why even the Muslims could not recognise the Sikhs as different; why even the young Sikhs turned into stones; why the Hindustanis did not feel agitated; why their arms turned into pieces of straw; why they could not rise to the occasion and could not know their grand duty?” (Ref: Raj Kumar Hans, “Bhai Jaita’s epic Sri Gur Katha: a New Milestone in the Sikh Literature”, 2012)
Guru Gobind Singh then vowed to make a single Sikh distinguishable amongst thousands, and with that created the Khalsa Panth. In creating the Khalsa Panth, Guru Gobind Singh ordered :
“…A Singh should not cut his hair and keep himself away from a hair shaving blade (romantak). By tying a turban (dastaar) over his head he should be ready in the complete form (saabat surat) without piercing the nose and ears….” (Ref: Raj Kumar Hans, “Bhai Jaita’s epic Sri Gur Katha: a New Milestone in the Sikh Literature”, 2012)
On a simple note, Sikhs keep their hair uncut in acceptance of their natural gifted look. The practice of uncut hair was formalized by the Tenth Guru, but it is said even the first Guru Nanak asked his followers to stop cutting hair. The long hair of the Sikhs is tied in a top knot and covered with a turban, to protect from heat and dust.
Meanwhile, in old times, only royal people were decreed to wear turbans and our Gurus allowed everyone to wear it, thus bringing all under the umbrella of equality. With time, the turban has forged a distinct identity of Sikhs and is now more like their uniform. Every morning by tying a turban, we pledge ourselves to a life of honesty and truth.