It is a festival in which women are the main participants. It is celebrated on the third day of Chaitra (Shukla Paksh) from March to April, the day after Holi, and continues for 16 days. Gangaur, an eighteen-day festival, is an extremely important local festival in Rajasthan. It is also celebrated with fervor in many parts of northern India. It begins the day after Holi with special worship and prayers to Gauri, Shiva’s wife.
The festival reaches its peak during the last 3 days. The images of Gauri(Parvathi) and Isar (Shiva) are dressed in new clothes specially designed for the occasion. Unmarried girls and married women decorate the images and give them the appearance of living figures.
At the auspicious hour of the afternoon, a procession is conducted in a garden or with images of Ishwar 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 first two days. On the final day, she faces in the same direction as Ishwar and the procession concludes in the consignment of the all images in the waters of a tank or a well. The women bid farewell to Gauri and turn their eyes and the Gangaur festival comes to an end.
