Gangaur Puja celebrates the union and love of Lord Shiva and Parvati.
As per the Hindu calendar, the third day of Chaitra Shukla paksha is known as the Gangaur fast. Coming right after the Holi festival, Gangaur lasts for 18 days, and it includes series of rituals and religious activities to offer a vibrant celebration with great enthusiasm and faith.
Gangaur Puja celebrates the union and love of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Married and unmarried women carry fasts and traditional pujas to worship Devi Gauri for a happy and fulfilled life. Unmarried women seek blessings for their loving partners, and married women pray for a healthy and lifelong relationship with their husbands. This festival holds huge importance in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, some parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
The Celebration And Rituals:
Gangaur festival is about worshipping Lord Shiva and Parvati, an epitome of pure love and marking the harvest season as well. The cities like Udaipur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Ajmer, and Nathwada witness incredibly joyous celebrations on a massive scale during these 18 days.
Women are supposed to make clay images of Lord Shiva and Parvati to worship them in this puja. They make beautiful images and adorn them with bright and colorful clothes and ornaments. Women who participate in this puja dress up well with the finest clothes and jewelry during these 18 days and follow strict fasts to complete this festival faithfully.
On the 7th day, unmarried women carry the lamp inside a pot on their heads and receive blessings and gifts from their elders. On the other hand, married women receive gifts and sweets from their parents right before the last day. Then comes the final day of Gangaur. All women carry lamps and their idols on their heads and perform the emission ritual.
By breaking the pot and immersing the images, women officially signify the departure of goddess Gauri.
Significance Of Gangaur:
The word Gan means Lord Shiva, and Gangaur is denoting Shiva and Parvati. As per Hindu scriptures, it is stated that Devi Parvati visited her paternal house during Gangaur time to meet her friends and bless them for happy marital life. The dedication and faith Devi Parvati showed to win Shiva’s heart is a remarkable event of mythology that marks the pure divine connection between this couple. Therefore, it is a prevailing thought that Lord Shiva blessed Gauri on this day and every other woman of society for great fortune and married life.
Therefore this extended festival is celebrated around women and their faith and prayers for future life. People get ready with great excitement and participate in different cultural activities, making this festival more colorful and enchanting. It is one of the most recommended festivals for tourists and people who like to know the culture and traditional values. The entire environment becomes joyous, spiritual, and delightful during Gangaur. Moreover, magnificent fairs, gatherings, feasts, and matchmaking ceremonies are some of the worth experiencing activities of this festival.
