Culture of Kuchaman City
The Kuchaman city placed inside Nagaur district of Rajasthan, is a partly urban town with a regal past that attracts tourists from various parts of India and abroad. Before the 17th Century this part of the land were almost barren with very few local inhabitants. This is due to the harsh climate of the region along with the rough hilly terrain.There was huge presence of the Munja plant (rather shrubs) which in Rajasthan is called ‘Kuncha’. During the earlier days Kuchaman region was inhabited by some local small and vagabond tribes, who had a profession of making baskets with the leaves of Munja plant. These tribes were known by the name ‘Kuchbandia’, which in turn made this place’s name Kuchaman in later times.
Local Tribes of Kuchaman City
With the passage of time this part of the land got divided into 112 villages of Maroth and 19 villages of Sambhar which later on formed the modern day Kuchaman city. Kuchaman region had always remained a place for the Hindu descendants. The people here referred themselves as ‘Suryavanshi Kshatriyas’ with Lord Ram being their main God. As per Gotras or castes, people of Kuchaman can be divided into three sub-categories namely, Dhayal, Mawlia and Meel.The ‘Dhayal’ are descendants of the Marutaganas who were historically present in parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. The Mawlia Jats are believed to be descendants of the Mavellakas from the times of Mahabharata, while the Meel people came from Mihran in Multan (Sindhu). All these tribes have made Kuchaman their residing place some 300 years back. Till today the descendants of these tribes contribute to the population of Kuchaman city.
Traditional Architecture and Attire in Kuchaman City
Like the other parts of Rajasthan, Kuchaman city also reflects the colourful culture of the state. Being a part of the ‘Land of Maharajas’ Kuchaman exuberates the rich tradition of the pat through food and culture. The houses here are small and are colourfully decorated. Some of these houses resemble historic Havelis and have got decorations on the outer walls. The people here generally prefer to wear clothes with mirror and embroidery works.Female population of all ages generally wear Lehenga or Chaniya Choli which comprises of ankle length embroidered skirt with a long top. The head is generally covered with Chunari which helps them to protect themselves from Sun’s heat along with maintaining the modesty of themselves in public. Men are found in Dhotis and Kurta with Puggar or Safa (turban) on their head. The male traditional dress is generally white in colour with only colourful turban whereas the women attires comprise of bright colours like yellow, orange and blue.