Gangaur Festival of Rajasthan
Name of Festival : Gangaur Festival
Major Territory of Celebration
Gangaur Festival is celebrated in Rajasthan state of india.
Time of celebration (Months)
Gangaur Festival is celebrated in month of March-April .
Worship in Festival
In the day of festival people worship the “Goddess Parvati.”
About Festival
This festival is dedicated to Gauri, a manifestation of Goddess Parvati.Gangaur Festival is the most important local festival of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state with great fervour .The word Gangaur is derived from two words, ‘Gan’ and ‘Gauri’ which are synonyms of ‘Siva’ and his consort ‘Parvati’ respectively.
This is very colorful Festival and celebrated in the month of March-April . It is the celebration of spring, harvest and martial fidelity in Jaipur.
Mainly this festival is celebrated by the girls and married women.On the day of festival Gauri is worshipped by unmarried women for blessing to get a good husband and by married women for the welfare, health and long life of their husbands. Newly-wedded girl observes a fast for the full course of 18 days of the festival that succeeds her marriage.
On this festival Images of Isar and Gauri are made of clay for the festival but in some Rajput families, permanent wooden images are painted afresh every year by reputed painters called matherans on the eve of festival. The main difference of idols of Teej and Gangaur is that the Idol will have a canopy during the Teej Festival while the Gangaur idol would not have a canopy.
Women are decorated their hands and feet by drawing designs with Mehndi (myrtle paste). On the evening of the 7th day after Holi, unmarried girls go around singing songs of ghudlia carrying the pots with a burning lamp inside, on their heads.On their way, they collect small sweets, jaggery, ghee, oil presents of cash etc. this continues for 10 days.
The festival reaches its climax during the last three days. Images of Gauri and Isar are dressed in new garments especially made for the occasion. Girls and women are decorated the image.Colourful procession is taken out to a tank or a well with the images of Isar and Gauri, placed on the heads of married women. Songs are sung about the departure of Gauri to her husband’s house.On the final day, lively images of Gauri are taken out in procession decorated by traditionally dressed camels, bullock carts, horses and elephants.We can say that it is a Gauri’s Departure day.
