In 26 crops specific and several multicrop explorations, 2592 germplasm representing diversity in cruciferous oilseeds namely Brassica juncea (L.) Czern., B. rapa L. ssp. trilocularis (Roxb.) Hanelt, B. rapa L. ssp. dichotoma (Roxb.) Hanelt, B. rapa L. ssp. oleifera (DC) Metzg.; B. nigra (L.) Koch, B. tournefortii Gouan and Eruca sativa Mill, and wild related genera-Lepidium, Sisymbrium, Crambe, Arabis, Barbarea etc. have been collected by the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources since 1976, independently as well as in collaboration with crop based institutes and projects, state agricultural universities and departments and foreign universities. The variability has been collected through random sampling in diverse habitats in 20 states of India. The indigenous collections exhibited facinating variability in important morphological, economic and resistance traits. Tarai region in Gorakhpur and Deoria for B. rapa L. ssp. trilocularis (Roxb.) Hanelt, local – yellow sarson; diara lands in Budaun for B. rapa L. ssp. oleifera (DC) Metzg., local – toria; central parts of Uttar Pradesh for B. rapa L. ssp. dichotoma (Roxb.) Hanelt, local – brown sarson; Tibbi area in Ganganagar for B. tournefortii Gouan; Mewat region and Chambal ravines for Eruca sativa Mill. have been identified as the hot spots of variability in respective species. These areas still hold a lot of variability worth utilizing, even through direct selection by the breeders. A general pattern of variability indicated that early dwarf types are distributed in the eastern parts of the country with frequency increasing towards the border areas facing Bangladesh. Whereas tall, late, robust, high bearing and/or high yielding types are concentrated in the western parts of the country, particularly in Haryana and Rajasthan. To broaden germplasm base further, over 2000 accessions of different types have been introduced from 22 countries and promising lines identified for further uses. 4589 lines representing diversity in cruciferous oilseeds have been conserved in the National Gene Bank for posterity and gaps in collection have been discussed.