Gangaur Festival
One of the most important local festival and colourful festival celebrated in the state of Rajasthan, the Gangaur Festival is observed through out the state with great fervor and devotion by women folk. This festival is celebrated especially by women folk, 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. Gangaur (Gan + Gaur). Gan is synonym for the Lord Shiva and Gaur is synonym for Gauri or Parvati – the wife of Lord Shiva.
Gangaur is celebrated in the month of chaitra, the first month of the Hindu calendar. This month marks the end of winter and the onset of spring.
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 poems 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.
The Gangaur festival reaches its climax during the last three days. Unmarried girls and married women decorate the images and make them look like living figures. At an auspicious hour in the afternoon, a procession is taken out to a garden, tank or a well with the images of Isar and Gauri, placed on the heads of married women.
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