Gangaur

The story of Gauri

According to tradition, the festival traces its origin to a journey made by Shiva, Parvati, and the sage Narada. When poor village women offered what simple water and flowers they possessed, Parvati blessed them with lasting marriages by sprinkling holy nectar from her hand. When wealthy women arrived later with fine banquets, the goddess cut her own finger to provide them with the same divine blessing. Parvati then made a sand lingam by a river to worship Shiva, who promised that any woman honouring them on the third lunar day of Chaitra would receive lasting conjugal fortune.

Making and dressing idols

Preparations center on images of Shiva, known locally as Isar, and Parvati, called Gauri. Families fashion these sacred figures out of clay, or commission wooden idols that traditional painters known as matherans repaint every spring. Unlike idols used during the Teej festival, Gangaur figures do not carry a canopy. Women adorn their hands and feet with intricate patterns using myrtle paste, known as mehndi. In the closing days of the festival, worshippers dress both statues in fine new garments and elaborate ornaments, making them appear like living beings for the coming ceremonies.

Pots, songs and processions

Starting on the seventh evening after Holi, young unmarried girls carry ghudlias, which are pierced clay pots holding burning lamps, on their heads. They walk through neighbourhoods singing traditional songs and collecting gifts of coins, ghee, jaggery, sweets, and cooking oil. During the final afternoons, married women carry the dressed idols on their heads in grand public processions toward wells, stepwells, or lakes. Accompanied by music and folk performers, these marches recreate Gauri departing for her husband's home, ending with the immersion of the clay images into the water.

City traditions

Festivities display distinct local character across different towns. In Jaipur, crowds gather to watch a royal procession move from the City Palace through busy bazaars and the Chaugan stadium to Talkatora. Townspeople mark the occasion by sharing ghevar, a special sweet dish offered to friends and family. In Udaipur, celebrations center on Gangaur Ghat along Lake Pichola. Processions featuring antique palanquins, bullock carts, and chariots wind through city lanes, accompanied by folk artists, before bringing the figures of Isar and Gauri to the water for their final farewell.

How Gangaur is kept

The festival opens right after Holi and lasts sixteen days, though newly married women observe eighteen. Unmarried girls observe a daily fast, eating only a single meal each day. In the evenings, girls carry pierced clay pots with lamps on their heads, collecting food and coins for a final feast. Women apply henna designs to their hands and feet and worship clay or painted wooden figures of Shiva and Gauri. On the last three days, dressed images are carried in afternoon processions to gardens or water bodies, where they receive water offerings before being immersed in tanks, wells, or lakes.

When and where

The observance begins on the first day of Chaitra, immediately following the festival of Holi, and concludes on the third day of the bright fortnight (shukla paksha). This period falls in March or April of the Gregorian calendar.

Gangaur is celebrated most prominently throughout Rajasthan, as well as in the Fazilka district of Punjab, Haryana, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and West Bengal. Related regional observances occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.

What Gangaur means

Gangaur represents the blessing of marital devotion, fertility, and the return of spring. Unmarried women pray to Gauri for a virtuous husband, while married women seek health, prosperity, and longevity for their spouses. The name itself reflects the divine couple: Gana refers to Shiva, while Gauri is his consort Parvati, symbolizing united devotion and life-giving abundance.

Days Gangaur is marked

Questions people ask about Gangaur

See also

NowruzThe Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsHoliA spring festival of colours and bonfires that marks the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil.NavaratriA nine-night Hindu festival honoring the goddess Durga and her nine forms through prayer, fasting, and dance.Rama NavamiA Hindu spring festival marking the birth of Rama with prayer, fasting and processions

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Gangaur on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.