Gangaur गणगौर
Goddess Gauri (Parvati) · Partial fasting
The 18-day Rajasthan festival beginning the day after Holi and culminating on Chaitra Shukla Tritiya — celebrating Parvati’s reunion with Shiva. Unmarried women observe the vrat to obtain a good husband; married women for marital harmony and the long life of their spouse. Clay murtis of Isar (Shiva) and Gangaur (Parvati) are dressed daily by women in their finest, paraded on Tritiya through the streets of Jaipur, Udaipur, and Bikaner with the queens of the erstwhile royal families leading the procession.
Rituals (vidhi)
- 1.Daily worship of clay Isar-Gangaur murtis in homes for 18 days
- 2.Singing of Gangaur ghoomar folk songs and dancing
- 3.Wearing of new red, green, and yellow chaniya choli
- 4.Royal Gangaur procession from City Palace Jaipur and Udaipur on Tritiya
- 5.Immersion of Gangaur murtis in Pichola Lake or Gangaur Ghat
Significance
The cultural identity-marker of Rajasthan — recognized by UNESCO as a living tradition representing the suvasini-dharma of women’s spiritual agency. Echoes the larger Parvati-Shiva mythology where Parvati performs austerity to regain Shiva after his Tandava grief. Mughal-era Jahangir reportedly halted his army to watch the Udaipur Gangaur procession.
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