A dazzling crowd of women gather to celebrate Gangaur, a women's festival where they pray for fidelity and marital bliss.
The clothes they wear are at great variance with their environment.

The cultural identity of any region is based on the dominant groups inhabiting the area, and their means of livelihood; it also includes within its ambit the minutest of human expressions. In this and other regards, Rajasthan's fabric of culture is unique with its multifarious textures and folds, each with its own shade and beauty.

Geographically, the region can be divided into three categories — one forming part of the great Thar desert, the second its ancient Aravalli tract, and the third its Fertile plains. All three regions make up the state's ecological environment of arid and semi-arid zones. Historically, Rajasthan had always been governed by princely states under the dominance of central, imperial control. Its history has contributed great warriors and heroes, their brave deeds resulting from a desire to remain independent. The official histories of different families present a long list of leadership qualities and exemplary patterns of bravery.

The princely kingdoms of Rajasthan merged as one state in the Indian union after Independence, thanks to the efforts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Though the state did not have a common political and administrative entity prior to this, its socio-cultural history was knit on basis of its history, life patterns, value systems, and linguistic unity.