Gangaur Festival

The Gangaur Festival is the colourful and most important local festival of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state with great fervour and devotion by womenfolk during the months of July and August.

Gangaur Festival is one of the most important and widely celebrated traditional festivals of Rajasthan. The word Gangaur is derived from two words 'Gan' a synonym of Siva and 'Gauri' of his consort Parvathi. The festival commences on the day following Holi and continues for about 2 weeks. The festival is held in the honor of Gauri who is regarded as the symbol of virtue and fidelity and a mythological role model of married women. While married women worship Gauri for the welfare of their husband, the young unmarried girls worship her for being blessed with a spouse of their choice.

The festival commences with the ritual of collecting ashes from the Holika Dahan (Holi Fire) and burying seeds of wheat and barley in it. Then the seeds are watered every day until the germination takes place. The ritual is performed with the songs praising Isar and Gauri and the carrying of painted water pots on women heads.

The ritual is performed with songs of Isar and Gauri (Shiva and Parvathi) and the varying of pots of water on the head. Women folks also make clay images of Gauri and Isar. On the evening of the seventh day after Holi, unmarried girls take out a parade with ghudlia (an earthen pot with holes around and a lamp inside) on their heads. On the way they are gifted presents such as sweets, ghee, oil and cash. The ritual continues for a fortnight till the conclusion of the Gangaur Festival. The festivity reaches to its peak during the last three days of the festival. On the last day Colorful images of Gauri are taken out in procession accompanied by the camels, bullock carts, horses and elephants, decorated in traditional finery. Songs are sung about the departure of Gauri to her husband's house. The procession concludes with the girls breaking their pots and throwing all the consignment into a tank or a pond.

Another unique characteristic of this colorful festival is that on this occasion, tribal men and women have an opportunity to meet and interact freely. They can select a life partner of their choice and marry only by eloping.

We, Fascinating Rajasthan welcome you to this colorful and vibrant region of India. Come and experience the true colors of Rajasthan in its fairs and festivals on your Fascinating Rajasthan Festival Tour. Fascinating Rajasthan is an experienced and trusted tour operator providing excellent services to its customers for many years now.