Gangaur festival: the Holi hangover of Jaipur

As if numerous royal mansions, towering forts, sprawling gardens, massive lakes and heritage buildings were not enough; we give you one more reason to be in Jaipur. Say hello to Gangaur Festival which is a celebration of the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The word Gangaur is a combination of Gan (followers of Lord Shiva as mentioned in the holy texts) and Gauri (the other name of Goddess Parvati).

This festival marks the beginning of the new year according to the Hindu calendar and is observed in the month of Chait, the last month of the finishing year. Celebrated two weeks after Holi, the colour popular festival, Gangaur holds utmost significance in the cultural milieu of Jaipur. The city, not alien to grand festivities, gears up for a two week long celebrations amid fun and joyous merriment.

Men have their parts to play in the cultural proceedings but it is the women of the city who hog the limelight at the end of the day. Both married and unmarried women take part in this festival as Goddess Gauri symbolises the epitome of domestic perfection and marital companionship. Along with religious implications, Gangaur is also associated with the transition in Mother Nature’s mood as she brings out the blossoms of spring after the dry cold winters.

The seventh day of the festival sees the women carrying out the earthen pots known as ghudlias with lamps inside and hit the roads singing songs. Rajasthan and musical performances go hand in hand and it was but obvious that this aspect was going to make an appearance. So far you had seen and enjoyed Rajasthani folk performances on TV or on stage and now is your chance to catch a glimpse of it out in the open!


So coming back to the singing ladies, these beautiful and bejeweled women even go door to door with the ghudlias and collect cash, sweets, ghee, oil and jaggery. This goes on till the last day of the festival and on the final day, the women folks break these pots and take the debris to a water body to immerse.

Where there is a festival, there is a procession in India and it is true in case of Gangaur as well. During the runtime of the events, colourful processions are carried out on the streets. These processions showcase the myriad aspect of Jaipur’s legacy as well as street acts and performances. Locals and travellers alike take part in the proceedings and make memories to cherish and tell tales about.