This paper presents a textual research on the turbans worn by Indian monks beginning with a critical look at images with red turbans in the Book of the Barbarians in the South worn by the kings of Nanzhao, an ancient kingdom in Yunnan Province that was later replaced by the Dali Kingdom. These analyses are useful for correcting some confusion regarding the historical changes that turbans worn by Indian monks depicted in NanzhaoTu Zhuan （a picture-story book about the Buddhism at Nanzhao） underwent. By associating the turbans worn by the Tibetans living in Tibet and the Dunhuang regions with Buddhist statues that include turbans, this paper clarifies what the correct model for such a turban worn by the kings of Nanzhao is like, summarizes the characteristics of these turbans, and presents several rare cases of Buddhist bodhisattvas wearing turbans in Nanzhao and Dali. Finally, field investigation of the customs of the area show that this and similar forms of dress are cultural traditions lasting over a thousand years. All this demonstrates that the turbans worn by the kings of Nanzhao originated from Tibetan turbans, and that the Buddhist statues containing turbans from Tibet had a great influence on the Dali Kingdom.
