While its the norm to wear bright colours on festivals, it’s customary for the erstwhile royals of Jaipur to wear black on Diwali.
Black is considered a symbol of loss and bereavement. As per legend, the Kachwaha clan suffered fatal casualties in an ancient war fought on Diwali night. To commemorate these lost relatives, the royals wearing black.
“We have been wearing black on Diwali for generations,” says Diya Kumari, an erstwhile princess. “Folklore says that many of our ancestors were killed in a fierce battle. Later our family deity, Jamvai Mata from Ramgarh, brought them back to life. So black is also worn as a mark of respect and faith in her.”
The sitting BJP legislator from Sawai Madhopur constituency is quick to add that the family doesn’t wear plain black clothes as one does in mourning. “They have traditional sequin or gotta patti work that reflects the light,” she says. “It effect is similar to stars shining on Diwali night, which falls on amavasya (new moon night).”
Historians are now documenting this unique sartorial tradition. “Royals have a rule book on what to wear on various occasions, describing clothes to the minutest detail,” says senior historian RS Khangarot. “It even dictates when they can wear socks and when they cannot. But the origin of these rules is not known. I have been researching this in association with the City Palace museum.”
“In the photography and painting section of the Maharaja Sawai Mansingh II Museum,” says historian Rima Hooja, “there is a huge painting of Govind Dev-ji, one of the gods revered by the royals, dressed in black with gold work. This is reflective of the fact that the tradition goes back to the era even before Jaipur was established as a city.”
LIKE STARS IN THE SKY
The festive clothes are not plain black. They have traditional gotta-patti work that reflects the light. The effect is of stars shining on a full moon (amavasya) night
Folklore says our ancestors were killed in a fierce battle. Later our family deity, Jamvai Mata, revived them. So black is also worn as a mark of respect and faith in her
— Diya Kumari, BJP legislator
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