I have noticed that the shawl is worn as a head covering by the Muslim girls/ladies in particular. Some females do wear it covering the chest with the ends of the shawl resting on the back of the person. I have also seen the shawl encircling the neck (wraparound-the-neck) with one end resting on the the front of the chest and the other end on the back of the person. It is also worn with the ends on the wearer’s front so that the two ends are parallel. The shawl is also worn round the neck with a knot at the end, similar to the saatakaya worn by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. One can also see some wear it round the neck with the ends drooping down on the back of the person.

I would like to know whether any of the readers know the origin of the shawl and also whether there is any etiquette to be followed when wearing a shawl?