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Were Sikh Akali permitted armour?

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OB:
I'm currently painting up my second unit of Sikh Alkali.  I know that they wore blue and yellow clothing and have lots of images of them so dressed.  What I don't know is if they ever wore armour.  The reason I ask is that I have a very nice figure in appropriate Indian armour who would look great holding their black flag and leading the unit.  It occurred to me that as the Alkali were religiously devoted warriors there might be a prohibition on armour.  Does anyone know?

Thanks in advance.

sukhe_bator:
Yellow is a recent C20 colour addition. During the Sikh Wars and C19 indigo blue/black and white were commonplace. Akalis distained body armour as being too cumbersome and noisy, relying instead on a plethora of weapons. Chakkar of a variety of sizes worn on the wrists and forearms and around the neck and head served as additional defences.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O16836/painting-unknown/

Plynkes:
Don't think there was any actual armour prohibition, but they certainly ordinarily didn't seem to wear any. A few online articles written by modern Sikhs claim iron breastplates and mail shirts were part of their garb in time of war, along with the more well known accoutrements. Unfortunately none of the few books I have on the subject mention armour at all.  If they wore it I think you probably don't see it depicted very often simply because most of them couldn't afford it.

For what it's worth there is a Sikh fellow in the British West Midlands who claims to be the last one (though that is debatable). He teaches the "lost" Sikh martial arts, and has no problem at all wearing armour whenever the media show up to interview and photograph him. Take that with a pinch of salt though, as obviously he's not an authentic 19th Century Akali Nihang, he's some bloke from Wolverhampton.  :)


There is this pic of a fellow called Akali Hanuman Singh, who was active at the time of the Sikh Wars. He was a Nihang, and one might suppose that the artwork depicts a mail shirt. But I'm really not super-confident in that...



Hmm... May be clutching at straws a tad there. Oh well.

You know what, I'd use the figure. I think there is enough doubt either way. Certainly wouldn't bother me.

OB:
Thank you lads.  That is helpful.  I notice a splash of yellow on the leading Alkali in Sukhe's link.  Embroidery or lace perhaps.  The Indigo/Blue/Black colour scheme is worth knowing and I'll try it out.

That all makes sense Plynkes.  Hanuman Singh looks as though he just might be wearing mirror armour or bits of it.  They look like vambaces to me and that looks like a metal plate on his abdomen.  It's a good image.

Anyhow, I'll use the figure.

Thank you both once again.

Plynkes:
You know, I was so fixated trying to figure out what material the shirt was supposed to be that I didn't even notice his forearms. I agree, those sure look like vambraces of some sort.

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