The Festival of Gangaur
- January 24, 2024
The Festival of Gangaur
- January 24, 2024
In the month of Chaitra, falling between March and April, parts of North and Central India celebrate the festival of Gangaur. The word Gangaur comes from ‘gana’ referring to Shiva and ‘gaur’ which refers to Gauri, another name for Parvati.
This festival is dedicated to Parvati, the goddess of marriage and fertility, and is celebrated for 18 days, mainly by the women. Small clay idols of Shiva and Parvati are worshipped and carried around town during this festival. The women fast, sing songs, decorate their hands with Mehandi (Henna) and pray for the welfare of their families.
According to local legends, this festival marks the first time Parvati visited her mother’s house, after her marriage to Shiva. On the last day of Gangaur, the clay idols of Shiva and Parvati are immersed in water to signify Parvati’s return to Kailash.
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The Sons of Rama
The story of Rama and Sita was first set down by the sage Valmiki in his epic poem 'Ramayana.' Rama was the eldest son of Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya, who had three wives - Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra. Rama was the son of Kaushalya, Bharata of Kaikeyi and Laxmana and Shatrughna of Sumitra. The four princes grew up to be brave and valiant. Rama won the hand of Sita, the daughter of King Janaka. Dasharatha wanted to crown Rama as the king but Kaikeyi objected. Using boons granted to her by Dasharatha earlier, she had Rama banished to the forest. Sita and Laxmana decided to follow Rama. While in the forest, a Rakshasi, Shoorpanakha, accosted Laxmana but had her nose cut off by him. In revenge, her brother Ravana, king of Lanka, carried Sita away. Rama and Laxmana set out to look for her and with the help of an army of monkeys, defeated Ravana. On returning Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile, Rama banished Sita because of the suspicions of his subjects. In the ashrama of sage Valmiki, she gave birth to her twin sons, Luv and Kush.