Cultural complexity

Cultural complexity is a mixture of many cultures and civilizations which is fundamentally strong in its indigenous traditions. Primitive and aboriginal customs intermingle with feudal sophistication and courtly manners. Tribal democracy, ruthless autocracy, benevolent despotism, polytechnic skills, business acumen and industrial enterprises have all contributed to make the social and cultural fabric of Rajasthan.

in the days of rajput supremacy, life centred round the courts in the capital towns of the erstwhile states and the feudal castles and fortresses in the countryside. The brahmins who were the conscience-keepers of the rajput rulers, form a significant section of the population. They have retained religious fervor at a high peak in this land of valour and chivalry. The jains too have raised some of the best specimens of religious architecture. The jains, brahmins and the vaishyas are purely vegetarian, while rajputs, the kayasthas, the gujjars, the untouchables and the tribals are all non-vegetarian.

the girls of daroga community used to form part of the dowry of the daughters of the rajputs and the community on the whole lived in semi slavery. Neo-muslims or kaimkhanis and the meos retain many of their original hindu customs. They call both the kazi and the pandit to solemnize a marriage or nikah and celebrated hindu festivals.

Lying between the land of krishna’s birth, the krishna cult had an intense impact on Rajasthan but the dadupanthis, ram-sanchi, laldasi and vishnoi sects follow their own religious norms and ways of worship.

Costumes

Rajasthani turbans vary in style from region to region and caste and caste. Generally speaking, the safa style is favoured by the rajputs and the pagari by business men. In marwar, high turbans are used and the same style is found in sirohi and jaisalimer. Bikaner has a special type known as the ‘khirkia pag’. In the udaipur region, the style is called mewari. The buttoned-up short coat is the official dress in rajasthani courts. The women wear colourful skirt and choli.

purdah is almost unknown in rural Rajasthan. However, daughters-in-law draw a veil over their faces before elders. In cities, the purdah system has been common among the higher castes, the rajputs and the oswal jains.

Rajputs sport long and hairy moustaches as the sign of their chivalry. They also have long ‘kanpatis’ and hair on the head.

Surrounded by a fence of thorns and stacks of chaff the rajastjani village is like a small fort. But the huts do not have a uniform shape. The huts are built with locally available material. Mud mixed with dry grass is commonly used for walls and there is thatched roof made of bamboo, grass and twigs. Some houses have roofs made of tiles or unbaked tricks. In mewar and bundi, tribals build their houses with wood. In marwar, the hut is circular and the roof is conical. A pox inside supports the apex. An annexe of the same material called a dogla is used as a cattle shed, fodder-shed and store. The floors of the huts are painted deep red and doors have folk designs and motifs.

Religion

Rajasthan is predominantly inhabited by hindus. But muslims, jains, sikhs and christians form a fair proportion of the population. The hindus are divided into numerous castes and sub-castes. The muslims include the new-muslims or quasi-hindus who observe both hindu and muslim customs and rituals. Of the jain sects, the digambars are undivided but the svetambars are divided into two as idolaters and sadhumargis including terapanthis and sthanakvasis. The sikhs have swelled in numbers in this region since partition. Christians in Rajasthan are mostly concentrated in the big cities and include roman catholics, methodists, anglicans and other protestant denominations.