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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.
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