Festival of Rajasthan : Gangaur

Festival of Rajasthan : Gangaur

Gangaur is the main local festival of Rajasthan

Gangaur : The most colourful festival of Rajasthan is Gangaur. The first half of this word Gan symbolises lord Shankar while second half Gaur is synonym of Parvati, his consort. Gangaur is the local festival of Rajasthan and celebrated with lot of joy every year.

Gangaur festival

Over the centuries, Shakti has been synonymous with myriad forms and identified by many names, including Gauri and as the name suggests, the remarkable Gangaur festival is observed in honor of this very manifestation of Shakti(Gauri).

 

According to Indian mystical thought, all conjugal love and hapiness flows from Shanker and Parvati and this explains for the observance of the festival by all married and unmarried women. The festival which begins on the first day of Chaitra, the first month of the Indian Vikram Calendar continues upto the fourth day of the bright half of the month.

 

The virgins worship the Goddess for getting husband of their choice while the married ladies for the long and prosperous life of their husbands. It is religiously enjoined upon a newly married girl to observe the full course of 18 days of the festival falling first after her marriage.

 

The married ladies and virgins carry the images of Isar and Gauri singing the folk songs the some water points and bid farewell to Isar and Gauri. The colourful procession is very fascinating. Even the foreigners have been fascinated by this colourful procession.

On this day, Small children in families wear traditional dresses of bride (girls) and bridegroom (boys) and get ready to look like a bride and bridegroom and then celebrate this festival with complete zeal and zest.

Also both married and unmarried women celebrate it by making Lord Shiva and her wife Goddess Parvati of mud, dressing them beautifully, praying for them, women also keep a long day fast for the wellness of their family and her husband and preparing good food for their families as well.

 

In important towns of Rajasthan, big fairs are held on this occasion. Most popular of them is the fair held at Jaipur in which thousands of men and women from rural areas dressed in colorful costumes congregate to watch the procession of Gangaur taken out with all the paraphernalia of elephants, horses, and chariots symbolizing the pomp and pageantry of the golden era of the great Rajput rulers.