Thirty-six genotypes were evaluated for ten important morphological characters to assess the extent of genetic divergence using Mahalanobis D² statistics. The analysis revealed the presence of considerable variability among the genotypes, indicating wide genetic diversity in the experimental material. The D² values ranged from 3.22 to 47.93 with an average genetic distance of 20.00, demonstrating the existence of both closely related and highly divergent genotypes. Based on genetic distances, the genotypes were grouped into five distinct clusters through cluster analysis. Among these, Cluster II was the largest containing thirty-one genotypes, while Clusters III, IV, and V each consisted of a single genotype, indicating their unique and highly divergent nature. The highest intra-cluster distance was observed in Cluster II (17.77), followed by Cluster I (15.83), suggesting appreciable variability even among genotypes within the same cluster. The maximum inter-cluster distance was recorded between Clusters III and IV (42.36), followed closely by Clusters IV and V (42.24), indicating maximum genetic divergence between these groups. Such high inter-cluster distances suggest that hybridization among genotypes belonging to these clusters may produce superior segregants and greater heterosis. Character contribution analysis indicated that number of capsules per plant contributed the maximum towards total genetic divergence (35.56%), followed by plant height (21.90%), seed yield per plant (13.02%), and oil content (9.68%). Traits such as capsule length, test weight, and number of branches per plant contributed comparatively less towards divergence. The clustering pattern revealed that genetic diversity was not strictly associated with geographical origin, as genotypes from different origins were grouped together in the same cluster. The results suggest that the highly divergent genotypes present in solitary clusters can serve as valuable donor parents in breeding programmes aimed at broadening the genetic base. Crosses involving genotypes from clusters separated by large inter-cluster distances are expected to generate wider recombination and improved selection opportunities in subsequent generations. Overall, the study confirmed the existence of substantial genetic variability among the genotypes and highlighted the usefulness of Mahalanobis D² analysis for identifying diverse parents for effective crop improvement programmes.