The study was carried out to access the genetic relatedness of 33 traditional and 12 improved rice cultivars based on morphological and molecular diversity analysis.Data observed for twelve morphological traits in traditional and improved cultivars rice were used for calculating dissimilarity index. Cluster analysis based on hierarchical clustering method grouped 45 cultivars into two major clusters. All the improved cultivars were grouped into one cluster expect ADT 43 found to be unique than other improved cultivars for the morphological characters. A total of 32 SSR markers were used for screening 45 traditional and improved rice cultivars. Clustering analysis for 33 traditional cultivars was grouped into nine major clusters, while improved cultivars revealed four cluster based on SSR marker data. Clustering pattern for pooled dissimilarity matrix of 45 rice cultivars reveals eleven clusters for SSR markers data. The tree obtained from the SSR marker revealed that the marker was more discriminatory, highly polymorphic and thus, more informative than the one obtained from morphological data. The improved rice cultivars collected for this study had a relative narrowing genetic base as compared to traditional cultivars. It is essential to rationalize conservation and use of traditional cultivars to ensure the maintenance of genetic variability, essential in plant breeding.