The
Gangaur festival is one of the most popular local festivals which are
celebrated across the state of Rajasthan. This festival holds immense
importance for the maidens and married women of Rajasthan. The word
Gangaur signifies the togetherness of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati;
Gan is a synonym for Lord Shiva and Gaur for his consort Gauri. Their
union is considered the most desirable example of marital bliss. The
eighteen day long festival commences a day after Holi and is usually
held in the months of March and April. The festival is celebrated at a
large scale in almost all the cities and villages of Rajasthan be it
Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Nathdwara or Bundi. The women of Rajasthan are dressed in all their fineries and traditional colorful Rajasthani attire with their palms and feet reddened with henna. The Gangaur festival is also a very old one and dates back to the times when Rajasthan was ruled by the royalty. It is an occasion when the married women keep fasts for the well being of their married life and their husbands while the unmarried girls follow rituals to get a desirable husband. The festival is celebrated with great fervor in the houses of newly married couples.
The eighteen day long festival witnesses women coming out of their houses to participate in the procession in which the images of Isar and Gauri are decorated with all the fineries and garlanded. Married women carry the image of Isar and Gauri while the maidens carry the colorful pots with holes called ghudlias on their heads. This beautiful sight is enriched with gay singing and dancing in praise of the Lord and his consort. At Jaipur the procession starts from City Palace in which the town band, old palanquins, decorated elephants, bullock carts and battle chariots accompany the women of Jaipur. At the final day of the festival the women submerge the image of Isar and Gauri in rivers, Lakes or Wells. This is how the most popular local festival of Rajasthan concludes.