Venue: The festival is
celebrated throughout the state, but Jaipur is
the main venue for it.
Time: March - April
Duration: 18 days
About Gangaur Festival
Gangaur Festival is a special festival for the
Rajasthanis. It is celebrated in honour of Gauri
or Parvati, the goddess of abundance. This
festival is celebrated by young girls dressed in
their best clothes praying for a spouse of their
choice. The married ladies pray for the well
being of their husbands. 'Ghewar' sweet is
specially prepared for this festival with a
purpose of offering it to the Gods. This
festival is celebrated in spring season with
great feeling and zeal all over Rajasthan. The
celebrations at Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nathdwara and
Jaisalmer are full of pomp and are a must-see.
This festival is celebrated a fortnight after
Holi. It is perhaps the only festival in
Rajasthan that is celebrated for 18 days.
Gangaur festival is celebrated across Rajasthan,
but it is more enjoyable at Jaipur and Udaipur.
Colorful processions of images of Gauri, the
other name of Goddess Paravati and Shiva called
Gan, are taken out during the festival.
Another special feature about this festival is
that on this occasion, tribal men and women have
an opportunity to meet and interact freely and
during this time, they select partners and marry
by eloping.
Udaipur is the perfect place to visit during
Gangaur festival as the Lake City presents a
wonderful view on the occasion of the festival.
The procession to Pichola Lake is the highlight
of the Gangaur festival in Udaipur. The ceremony
pulls a number of tourists and locals. The whole
event comes to an end with the display of
wonderful fireworks on the bank of Pichola Lake.
Jaipur also pulls a number of tourists during
Teej festival. The city is beautifully decorated
and attains a festive look. The procession
carrying the images of Shiva and Parvati passes
through the streets of Jaipur and people come
out of their homes to watch the enticing
procession. Jaipur becomes an attractive
destination presenting a wonderful look during
the festive season.
Major Tourist Attractions
Events
The procession is taken to a garden, tank or a
well with the images of Isar and Gauri, placed
on the heads of married women at an auspicious
hour in the afternoon. Songs are sung about the
leaving of Gauri to her husband's house. The
procession comes back after offering water to
the image of Gauri, which faces backwards on the
first two days. On the final day, she faces in
the same direction as Isar and the procession
ends with the delivery of all the images in the
waters of a tank or a well. The women bid
farewell to Gauri and turn their steps towards
home with tears in their eyes and the Festival
comes to an end.
Getting There
Air : Indian airlines, Jet airways and
Sahara airlines have regular service to Jaipur.
All the major cities are connected to Jaipur.
Rail : Shatabdhi and Intercity connects
Jaipur to Delhi. Shatabdhi is fully air
conditioned train from Delhi to Jaipur, you can
also try the Intercity express which starts from
Delhi and reaches Jaipur. There are other trains
also to Jaipur from other metro cities.
Road : Rajasthan roadways have regular
bus services from New Delhi, running deluxe and
air conditioned coaches from Bikaner house,
Delhi. Jaipur is also well connected with the
other cities of Rajasthan. One can also hire
private taxis.
Accommodation
Accommodation is not a problem in Jaipur and its
neighboring areas. All sorts of hotels and
resorts can be located easily.
Rajasthan Travel
Guide
