Gangaur Festival of Rajasthan
Pooja Samagri
Idol of Gaur, Isar (Shiva), Kaniram, Rova bai, Sova bai (Kaniram, Rova bai & Sova bai are Isarji’s siblings).
Plain white paper, mehndi, kajal, rice, moli, brass kalash full of water, flowers, green grass (dub, jawara) and Gangaur’s geet book.
Pooja Process
Women can’t drink or eat anything before performing this pooja every day of Gangaur. Some women observe fast all days of Gangaur while some women fast on the last day of Gangaur.
Everyday Gangaur pooja setup.
Following is the pooja process carried out while singing Gangaur songs:
1. Place the Gangaur idols at a neat and clean place over a wooden “Paata” or platform. Alternatively, paste the Gangaur chart on a wall where the pooja will be performed. Along with this, paste one plain white paper near the idol.
2. Put “tilak” or “Kumkum” and rice on your forehead
3. Take green grass (dub or dob) and take out 8 sticks from their edge for all the idols respectively. For unmarried girls, it is 16 for each. These sticks are used as toothbrush for the idols so take little water with it to each of the idols and touch them to their mouth.
4. Take some more grass for doing Gangaur Pooja and keep it in your hand till the puja is done.
5. Put tilak on the idol’s forehead.
6. Offer “moli” or red thread and flowers and also tie the moli to your hand.
7. Offer phal to the idols.
8. Make 8 small dots each of Kumkum, mehndi and kajal on the plain white paper and 16 each for unmarried girls and newly married women.
9. Take some jawara with dub in your hands and dip them into the kalash of fresh water and sprinkle that water on the idols with the jawara. Keep doing this action while singing a Gangaur song and keep them in our hand while listening to the Kahani.
10. Once the Kahani is finished, sprinkle water on your head with the dub and jawara, offer these dub and jawara to the idol and tie some pieces onto bangles on both of your hands.
Important Elements
Jawario is a shallow earthen bowl and is used for sowing wheat in the ashes collected after the festival of Holi. Then during the Gangaur festival women carry this vessel on their head singing songs and throw it in a well. The vessel is made on wheel and is never decorated. [3]
Wheatgrass or Jawara sown in earthen pots.
Clay or wooden idols of Shiva and Gauri are decorated and worshipped during the full course of the festival. These figures are then placed with wheat grass and flowers, wheat plays an important role in the rituals as it signifies harvest. These idols are dressed andadorned in new attire and jewellery with ornaments specially made for this festival idols. Beautifully dressed clay idols of Gan and Gaur. (Image source)
Married woman receives gift hampers from their parents known as Sinjara, which comprises of clothes, jewellery items, makeup items and a sweet dish called Ghewar is characteristic of the Gangaur festival.
Women utilize this hamper to get ready on the final or main celebration day. People buy ghewar for themselves and to distribute it among relatives and friends.
Example of a Sinjara hamper. (Image source) Sweet dish of “Ghewar”. (Image source)
Decorating hands and feet with beautiful designs made out of Mehndi (myrtle paste) is also done during Gangaur. Almost all Hindu cultural festivals include applying mehndi with the festivities. Adorning of hands with beautiful henna patterns. (Image source)
