Subject: Hats of the Himalayas (Colours)
Hats of the Himalayas Main PageSubjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Colours:
--- Red Hats
--- Yellow Hats
--- Green Hats
--- Black & Blue Hats
--- White Hats
--- Mixed Colour Hats
- Miscellaneous Hats (shapes & colours)
- Glossary
- Confusions
- Others...
Videos: All Hat Videos
Generally speaking, on the HAR website, we have focused primarily on the shapes of hats. By shapes, we mean the four main types that have been focused on: the pandita hat, the lotus style or lotus cap, the fan-like style, and the cap style, which is more like the hat of the Karmapas and many other teachers as well. Previously we have been primarily focused on shape and giving those shapes useful and workable names.
Now, a question has come up about colours of hats. We have so far only looked at two colours of hats. The first is the black hat of the Karmapas based on the Yongle emperor's gift, which in turn is based on a Chinese court minister's hat. This was followed by other black hats and blue hats. The white hat of the Tsatsa Rinpoche, also following the Karmapa's black hat, has also been described.
Otherwise, in terms of hats in general and more broadly, there are also red hats, yellow, green, blue, and mixed colour hats.
The different religious traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, and Himalayan Buddhism of Eastern Asia, and specifically how they are described according to the Chinese imperial system of naming (Lamaist Buddhism) needs to be documented based on the colours of hats. (See Four Traditional Ways of Classifying the Schools of Tibetan Buddhism).
Jeff Watt 9-2026
(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).
