The
most important local festival in Rajasthan, Gangaur is held about a fortnight
after Holi and the celebrations go on for eighteen days. The festival is held
in honor of Gauri, a manifestation of goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva.
The festival is celebrated by girls and married women throughout Rajasthan.
Images of Gauri are ornamented and offerings are made. This is also an auspicious
time for young people to select their life partners. Colorful processions with
the town band, horses, and elaborate palanquins make it a fascinating spectacle.
CELEBRATIONS
The Gangaur festival is celebrated throughout Rajasthan with great enthusiasm
but the celebrations in Jaipur and Udaipur have their own special charm. The
festival is also celebrated with great pomp and show in Bikaner, Jodhpur,
Marathwara and Jaisalmer. Girls worship the goddess throughout the fortnight.
Colorful images of Gauri, beautifully dressed and bejeweled, are taken out
in a procession accompanied by the town band.
A boat procession is taken out on the Pichola Lake in Udaipur. Women balancing
several brass pitchers on their heads add to the gaiety of the Udaipur celebrations.
Thousands of people from the countryside come to take part in the procession
of Gangaur, which goes around from village to village. Tribal men and women
get the opportunity to meet and interact freely and during this time, they
select partners and elope to marry. An unusual, romantic custom sanctioned
by the community, it helps many young people find their life partner.
RITUALS
The
festival commences on the first day of Chaitra, the day following Holi and continues
for 18 days. For a new bride, it is binding to observe all the rituals and fasts
specified for the 18 days of the first Gangaur after her marriage. Even unmarried
girls fast for the full period of 18 days and eat only one meal a day in the
hope of finding a good husband. Girls dress up in their finest clothes and pray
for a spouse of their choice, while married women do the same for the happiness
and long life of their husbands.
LEGENDS
Goddess Parvati is the symbol of virtue and fidelity and is the mythological
role model of married women. It is believed that she holds all the qualities
of a good wife. The word Gangaur signifies Lord Shiva and Parvati together.
Gan is a synonym for Shiva and Gaur stands for Gauri, who symbolizes saubhagya
(marital bliss). Gauri is the embodiment of perfection and conjugal love and
unmarried women worship her to be blessed with good husbands, while married
women do so for the welfare, health and long life of their spouses and a long,
happy married life.
According to local belief, during this period, goddess Parvati had returned
to her parental home to bless her friends with marital bliss. On the last
day of her stay, she was given a grand farewell by her loved ones. The festival
ends in rejoicing, with the arrival of Shiva to escort his bride, Gauri, home,
accompanied by horses and elephants.
REGIONAL CELEBRATIONS
In
Bikaner, married women and maidens fast during the festival. They prepare sweet
dishes, carry them to a well, make an offering to the goddess, and return home
distributing these as prasad on the way. In Jaipur, a sweet dish called ghewar
is characteristic of the Gangaur festival. People eat ghewar and distribute
it among their friends and relatives too. A procession, carrying the image of
Gauri, forms at the Palace Gate known as Tripolia and moves on the city streets
passing Chaugan and on to Talkatora. A vast gathering of the people of Jaipur
and villagers from nearby areas witness the procession. The fair of lotias is
a distinctive feature of the Gangaur celebrations in Jodhpur. Early in the morning,
thousands of maidens, clad in their best attire, singing melodious songs bring
water and durba grass in silver or brass pots to a place known as Girdikot.
People from in and around Jodhpur come to the fair to be a part of the revelry.
In Nathdwara, the procession of Gangaur continues for 7 days. Each day, a particular
color is chosen for the dress of the goddess. On the last day of the festival,
the image of Gauri is dressed in black with golden lace and women carrying the
image too are dressed in a similar fashion. This indicates the final departure
of Gauri. In Udaipur, the images of Isar and Gauri are taken in a procession
to Pichola Lake and are taken around the lake for an hour. The ceremony comes
to an end with a display of fireworks on the banks of the lake. In Banswara,
the procession is taken out from the Zenana Deorhi to Singhvashi Chowk, both
areas within the palace compound and traditional religious ceremonies are performed.
People of the Girasia tribe, who live in the Sirohi Mount Abu region, celebrate
Gangaur as a continuation of festivities from Holi to Akshaya Tritiya - lasting
for more than a month. They go from village to village singing, dancing and
extending invitations while carrying the images of Gangaur. The images are brought
back to the village from where they started. During the festival, eligible boys
and girls of the tribe select their life partners and elope with them. This
form of marriage has the sanction of the community. In Bengal, more particularly
at Nabadwip, Santipur and in Orissa, a similar ritual called Doljatra, is observed
by the Vaishnavites.
PLACES TO VISIT
The
ultimate place to witness the spectacular Gangaur festival definitely is Rajasthan.
The festival is celebrated in almost every part of Rajasthan with its related
tradition and rituals. And in every part of the state, one can observe the differences
in the celebrations and festivities of Gangaur. Rajasthan Tourism revived the
tradition by including the Elephant Festival in the cultural calendar. The present-day
pageant, originated only a decade ago, was devised especially with the tourist
in mind. The inclusion of the game of polo is more recent, being inspired by
a cartoon in Punch magazine that showed the Indian polo team atop an elephant
after it won all the international tournaments. Every year on the day after
Holi, the old stadium at Jaipur, the Chaugan (originally planned for elephants),
forms the venue for a spectacular jamboree.
PLACES TO VISIT
The elephant festival is the specialty of the state of Rajasthan. Like the Desert
Festival of Jaisalmer, the Elephant Festival of Jaipur has become a major draw
for the tourists. Given the importance of the elephant in the socio-cultural
milieu of the state of Rajasthan, tourists can rest assured that they are in
for some great Indian festivities and fun in Jaipur.
Great Indian Wildlife Tours
