Helmet

The richly gold-overlaid helmet skull is of burnished steel, shaped to accommodate the topknot of hair that is worn by devout Sikhs; this type of helmet is therefore specifically Sikh in origin, and one of only a handful to survive. Though it is a work of great craftsmanship, there is in fact a slight flaw in the metal of the helmet skull, just to one side, but it has been cleverly concealed by the craftsman, who has applied gold inlay in the shape of a bird directly over it. Another bird has been applied to the other side in order to balance the design.