Gangaur Festival Jaipur

Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Significance : Features Elephant Polo and Elephant Dance.
Time of Celebration : For eighteen days during Chaitra (according to the Hindu calendar, which usually falls in March or April.

Gangaur Festival Jaipur is one of the most important local festival in Rajasthan. In some form or the other it is celebrated all over Rajasthan. “gan” is a synonym for Lord Shiva and “gauri” or “gaur” stands for goddess parvati, the heavenly consort of lord Shiva. Gangaur celebrates the union of the two and is a symbol of conjugal and marital happiness.

Gangaur is celebrated in the month of chaitra (March-April), the first month of the Hindu calendar. This month marks the end of winter and the onset of spring.
Women dressed in colourful clothes sit on the edge of teh lake in Udaipur waiting for dance procession.This festival is dedicated to Gauri, a manifestation of Goddess Parvati; consort of Lord Shiva. Gangaur Festival is one of the most important local festival of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state with great fervour. Girls and married women throughout Rajasthan celebrate the festival. The images of Gauri are ornamented and offerings are made. This festival is celebrated especially by women, who worship clay idols of “Gan” & “Gauri” in their houses. These idols are worshiped by unmarried girls who seek the blessings of Gan and Gauri for a good husband, while the married women pray for the good health and long life of their husbands.

This worship which starts form the first day of the chaitra month culminates on the 18th day into Gangaur festival with a great religious fervor. On the eve of Gangaur festival women decorate their polms and fingers with henna. The idols of Gan and Gauri are immersed in pond or in a near by lake on the last day of the festival.

A traditional procession of Gangaur commerces form the Zanani- Deodhi of the City Palace, passing through Tripolia Bazair, Chhoti Chaupar, Gangauri Bazar, Chaugan stadium and finally converges near the Talkatora. The procession is headed by a colorful pageantry of elephants, old palanquins, chariots, bullock carts and performance folk artists.

History of Gangaur Festival
Lord Shiva, Parvati (Gauri) and Sage Narad visited a small forest. When the visit of Gods became a news, women prepared feast for the Gods. The women of higher class came with their dishes, first. After dining, the Gods sprinkled holy water on them, as a symbol of blessing. Later, when the women of lower class came with their offerings, Gods did not have any remaining holy water for blessing. Thus, Goddess Parvati cut her finger and sprinkled blood as the holy water.

Why is it celebrated?
The womenfolk celebrate the festival of Gangaur with great zeal and devotion, praying to Goddess Parvati/Gauri to bless them with a bountiful spring that’s full of harvest, and also marital harmony. They also urge the goddess to bless their husbands with good health and long life. Although this festival holds special significance for the married women, unmarried girls are also seen partaking in it in hopes of being blessed with a good husband. The story of Gangaur revolves around Parvati being escorted by Lord Shiva from her parental home,following a grand farewell. As per ancient texts, Parvati had performed severe penance for days to persuade Lord Shiva to have her as his wife. Her perseverance and devotion did indeed move him.

The Festival
The Gangaur festival starts on the first day of the month of Chaitra (as per Hindu calendar)which is on the following day of Holi, and is consummated on the third day of Shukla Pakshaof the same month. Thisfestival is usually an 18-day affair, during which all women are expected to observe a fast restricting themselves to only one meal a day. Clay idols of Shiva-Gauri perfected by the local craftsmen are decorated and worshipped during the full course of the festival. Certain Rajput families worship traditional wooden figurines of the divine couple, which are repainted every year by matherans (local painters) before the festival commences. These figures are then placed within baskets along with wheat grass and flowers; wheat plays an important role in the rituals as it signifies harvest. People also buy earthen pots known locally as kunda, anddecorate them in a traditional Rajasthani painting style called maandna. It is customary for married women to receive gift hampers from their parents known as Sinjara, which comprises of clothes, jewellery items, makeup and sweets. These gift hampers are generally sent on the second last day of the festival which the women utilize to get ready on the final or main celebration day. Decorating hands and feet with beautiful designs made out of Mehndi (myrtle paste) is another popularpractice that’s widespread during the Gangaur festival.

The Ceremonious Fair of Gangaur
Rajasthan is widely recognized for its grand and colorful celebration of events, and the Gangaurfair is no different. Various fairs are held in different corners of the state, the intriguing processions being their main highlight. Traditionally, a bevy of women clad in exquisite attires and bedecked with jewellery, process around the town with the beautified idols of Shiva and Gauri placed on their heads. Bands of local musicians are also a part of this procession as they play traditional and folk songs. The event culminates with the immersion of the idols in bawdi or johad (wells or water reservoirs), marking the farewell to Goddess Gauri. Often, people from distant corners of the town also flock to witness and participate in these processions. Certain tribes in Rajasthan also hold Gangaur as an auspicious occasion for choosing life partners. Following this popular belief, the unmarried men and women in these tribes come together and interact with each other. The purpose behind such a congregation is generally marriage.