Gangaur Festival

Fast Facts
Venue: Jaipur, Rajasthan
Significance: Religious Festival
Duration of Festival:2 weeks
Month of Celebration: March/April
Next Date of Event: 18 to 20 March 2010
Reaching There: Regular trains, flights and buses from all major cities connect Jaipur with other cities.

The time of holi is a time when Rajasthanis rejoice in the exuberance of festivals. Many festivals herald holi and many follow it to prolong the hoopla of fete and conviviality. One of the most prominent festival followed by Holi is Ganagur festival. Fortnight after holi, female populace of Rajasthan re-discover an occasion for boisterous revel. Held in honor of Goddess Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva. It is said that Ishar and Gangaur are the divine male and female who embody eternal marital love.

Married or unmarried all girls and women gaily enjoy the festival at length and breadth of Rajasthan. Images of Gauri are made and lavishly decorated with ornaments. The celebration time is auspicious as young unmarried girls select their life partners and pray for a life partner of their choice. While the married ladies decorate their hands and feet with Mehndi, Mahavar and pray for the general well being of their husbands. The spell binding view of processions with the town band, horses, and elaborate palanquins is a real pleasure. Besides Jaipur the festival is celebrated with much reverence in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nathdwara and Jaisalmer.

Rituals of Gangaur Festival
In the afternoon, an auspicious hour is chosen and a procession heads to a garden, a well or a tank. There the images of Isar and Gauri are placed on the head of married women. Departing notes for Gauri are sung as she leaves for her husband's house. The procession comes back after offering water to the image of Gauri. The first two days the image of Gauri faces the backward direction and on the last day she faces in the same direction as Isar and the procession culminates with the immersion of all the images in the waters of a tank or a well. Bidding farewell to Gauri womenfolk return their homes with wet eyes and thus the festival comes to an end.

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Gauri is is the symbol of virtue and fealty and such is the mythological role model of married women. So the festival is held in the name of her, to commemorate her. This most important local festival of Rajasthan has some folk beliefs associated with it.

People believe that if an unmarried girl observes the rituals of the festival religiously, then she will be blessed with a spouse of her her choice. Before actua;l celebrations, the festivities start almost fifteen days ahead of festival. The preceeding nights are to worship the goddess. One attribute specific to this festival is that on this day tribal men and women have an opportunity of meeting and confabulating liberally. They can even select their partners by eloping.