The Study of Traditional Foods, Ornaments, Costumes and Housing Patterns of the People of Ravi River Basin in Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

Maize and wheat are the main staple food of the people of Ravi River basin in Himachal Pradesh. They also used to take rice occasionally in past, but now a day’s rice are used daily and it is also being commonly used in Chamba and Bhattiyat tehsils, where it is grown in abundance. In Bharmour tehsil, Cheena and inferior types of millets are used. Previously, the diet of Gaddis was simple and did not permit them much variation. They were known about the use of rice some of them occasionally take it, but they had to purchase it from the market (Census of India, 1961). Wheat and barley were the main Rabi crops and as such were also used in the form of chapatteis either single or mixed with kodra and maize. In Ravi River basin in Himachal Pradesh, the entire basin people wear western type of dresses. In winter season all the people of this basin wear woolen garments but in summer season they wear cotton garments. As would be expected, with the process of modernization, a change took place in the traditional dress (Punjab castes, 1916). The costume of the Gaddis, both men and women is characteristics and striking, and they can be easily recognized because of their traditional costume. Every region has wear jewellery that is typical and peculiar to it. Jewellery and ornaments were fashioned by goldsmiths (suniars) all over Ravi River basin in Himachal Pradesh (C. S. Panchani). The houses are generally two to three storeyed buildings with separate kitchen and cowshed and the design of the houses is not uniform but its design depends upon the location of site. In most of the houses provision of ventilation and light is very limited. In a mountainous area like Bharmour, the village is not laid out in a systematic way and a number of factors seem to have determined the pattern of settlement. The permanent villages of the Gaddis on an average lie between an altitudes of 7000 to 10000 feet above sea level and they are small sized villages ranging from 30 to 200 families. The inhabitants of most of these villages are exclusively the Gaddis (Punjab State Gazetteer, 1904).