Gangaur

All the single ladies – pray to Gauri for the husband of your dreams

Gangaur, Udaipur by Marji Lang, on Flickr

When: Varying. April 13th & 14th 2013. 2nd & 3rd April 2014.
Where: Rajasthan, India

Gangaur is one of the most important festivals in Rajasthan, held each spring in honour of Gauri, the goddess of purity, abundance and patron of unmarried girls.

In Hindu mythology, Gauri is the unmarried goddess Parvati, before she married Lord Shiva. She underwent extreme penances in order to attain the glory of marrying him.

Women apply Mehndi henna tattoos to the the palms of hands and young girls adorned in their best clothes pray for the husband of their dreams whilst the married ladies pray for the welfare of their husbands. Colourful decorated images of Gauri are taken out in processions to the nearest body of water. Traditionally, the young and unmarried use this as an opportunity to meet each other freely to find partners.

This is a beautiful festival with many many rituals, customs and legends associated with it, and one definitely worth seeing.

When is Gangaur?

The festival starts on the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra (the day following Holi) and carries on for 18 days with the last two or three days being the most important. It usually falls sometime in March or April. In 2012 the important dates are 25th and 26th March. In 2013 these fall on 13th & 14th April.

Share your Gangaur pics and videos on our facebook page too! Or if you just want to say hi, or leave a comment for any other reason, we’d love to hear from you.

Gangaur Food & Drink

In Jaipur it is traditional to buy a sweet dish called a ghewar to eat and share with friends and relatives. Hindus are vegetarian so try the various delicious vegetable dishes. Try our recipe for Sabzi Kari (vegetable curry). Whilst Hindus do not drink alcohol, Indian beers like Cobra or Tiger beer are available.

Travel to Rajasthan

This spring festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal all over Rajasthan. The celebrations at Udaipur (where is is part of the Mewar Spring Festival at Lake Pichola), Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nathdwara and Jaisalmer are full of pomp and ceremony with colourful processions and traditional music, dance and song.

Dates / venues may be subject to change or cancellation. Distances may be straight-line estimates. Please verify information before booking.

Enjoy your trip! And when you’re home we’d love you to come back and tell us all about it!