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Gangaur Festival

 

This is a festival in which women are the main participants and it is celebrated in the months of March-April on the third day of the bright half (Shukla Paksh) of the Chaitra, the day following Holi and continues for 16 days. Gangaur - an eighteen day festival - is an extremely prominent local festival in Rajasthan. It is also celebrated in many parts of Northern India with great fervour. It commences from the day after Holi with special worship and prayers to Gauri the consort of Shiva.

The festival reaches its climax during the last three days. The images of Gauri and Isar are dressed in new garments especially made for the occasion. Unmarried girls and married women decorate the images and make them look like living figures.

At an auspicious hour in the afternoon, a procession is taken out to a garden, or well with the 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.

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