Gangaur
Festival, Jaipur
Gangaur Festivals holds a special significance for the Rajasthanis. It is
celebrated in honour of Gauri, the goddess of abundance. Young girls adorned
in their best clothes pray for a spouse of their choice. The married ladies
pray for the welfare of their husbands. This spring festival is celebrated
with great enthusiasm and zeal all over Rajasthan. The celebrations at
Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nathdwara and Jaisalmer are full of pomp and are a
must-see.
Celebration
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. Songs are sung about the departure of Gauri to her
husband's house. The procession comes back after offering water to the image
of Gauri, which faces backwards on the first two days. On the final day, she
faces in the same direction as Isar and the procession concludes with the
consignment of all the images in the waters of a tank or a well. The women
bid farewell to Gauri and turn their steps homewards with tears in their
eyes and the Festival comes to an end.
History
Parvati or gauri is the consort of Shiva, the destroyer. The festival is
held in her honour as she is the symbol of virtue and fidelity and as such
is the mythological role model of married women.
Gangaur is the most important local festival in Rajasthan. It is believed
that if unmarried girls observe the rituals of this festival they will get
married to the spouses of their choice and married women observe the same
for the happiness and long life of their husbands. The celebrations in
Jaipur and Udaipur have a unique charm and attraction.
The festivities begin almost a fortnight before the actual day. Girls
worship the goddess throughout the preceding fortnight. Colorful images of
Gauri are taken out in procession accompanied by the town band. Thousands of
people from the countryside come to take part in the procession of the image
from village to village.
Another unique thing about this festival is that on this occasion, tribal
men and women have an opportunity to meet and interact freely and during
this time, they select partners and marry by eloping.
How to Reach
By Air : Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and domestic carriers operate
regular flights to and from Jaipur. Jaipur is connected to Delhi, Mumbai,
Udaipur, Jodhpur, Aurangabad, Calcutta and Varanasi by domestic flights.
By Train: The train service to Jaipur is available from all the
major parts of the country. An excellent connection from Delhi is Shatabadi
Express that provides a fast, air-conditioned rail service. Other direct
connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad,
Secunderabad, Agra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta.
By Bus: Jaipur can be accessed from all the major places in
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Mumbai by bus. Rajasthan roadways runs
excellent regular service of AC and Deluxe Coaches from Delhi
Hotel
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