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[Full title: Head-dress of Men during the Pallava period: Head-dress during warfare]

Warfare in this period is most dramatically portrayed in the historical panels of the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram. From the Kuram copper plate inscription of Paramesvaravarman^[1] it is known that the Pallava army consists of 鈥渃ountless troops of men, horses and elephants.鈥� Regarding the head-dress used in warfare, it should be noted that in majority of cases, it was the usual turban or even without any head-dress. However, in a panel (lower row) on the northern cloister wall there seem to be andepiction of a typical head-dress worn during warfare. Here two warriors fighting from atop an elephant belonging to the rival parties (fig. 151) wear a head-dress, which covers their head completely, including the sides and extending over the neck portion. Whereas, the extended part of the head-dress over the neck portion of the warrior to the left of the panel is plain and square in shape, the corresponding one worn by the warrior to the right side has striped designs. Probably these are metal head-gears or helmets (sirastrana) with protective shields for the neck below. Similarly, the soldiers seated atop the elephant in three more panels on the same wall, as well as in a panel on the eastern wall have such depictions of a sirastrana. Apart from warriors riding on elephants, similar protective head-dress, along with the metallic shield covering the neck can also be seen worn by a warrior seated on a horse in a panel (upper row) on the eastern cloister wall (fig. 152). The usage of helmet (sirastrana) during warfare in ancient India is proved by an almost similar depiction in a panel from Sanchi (Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh), where a mahout is shown wearing a helmet crowned by a knob^[2].