Wakefield Museums and Castles

Close-up of the pattern on a pale blue, cream and black prayer mat

South Asian heritage

We first collated this section for South Asian Heritage Month 2025. We looked for objects and stories in our collection related to South Asian cultures. We shared the objects with people from our South Asian communities. They kindly helped us to learn more about the stories they can tell.

We discovered that a lot of these objects related to British colonial rule in South Asian countries.

We would love to add more local and contemporary objects to the collection. We want to celebrate the contributions South Asian and British South Asian people make to the Wakefield district today.

Do you have an object or story relating to South Asian heritage in the Wakefield district? Please get in touch with us at museums@wakefield.gov.uk.

Please note: this section explores objects and stories in our collection that relate to the British Empire.

Find out more

A brown, tightly curled wool cap, designed to fit snugly on the wearer's head

Jinnah cap, Pakistan, early 2000s

This traditional-style hat was worn by the Imam of Wakefield’s first mosque.
A set of 33 white and black Islamic prayer beads, with a longer bead and tassel coming off the centre

Prayer beads and prayer rug, Pakistan, 1990s

These Islamic prayer beads and prayer rug were kindly donated to our collection by a resident of Sandal, Wakefield.
Part of a printed black and white poster for Wakefield Mela 1996

Poster, Wakefield Mela, 1996

This poster shows the programme of events for the Wakefield Mela in 1996.
A large red wax seal with Urdu and Punjabi text on it

Wax seal, India, around 1900

This seal is believed to date from the time of British colonial rule in India.
A small toy elephant made with various pieces of scrap material including black felt for the body, a leather ear, and velvet and string for the saddle

Handmade toy elephant, Bill Brook, 1941

A British soldier made this toy in India during the Second World War.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletters to get our latest updates, events and exhibitions sent straight to your inbox.

Subscribe