E-Paper
Gangaur celebrations to begin on March 21, preparations for procession underway
Gangaur celebrations to begin on March 21, preparations for procession underway
Kota Mar 19 Gangaur celebrations will begin with great fervour on Saturday, with preparations underway for a grand procession from Sarathal Fort in Rajasthan later on Ram Navami.
Gangaur, dedicated to the union of Gauri and Isar , has been celebrated across Rajasthan for over two centuries now. "Gan" refers to Shiva and "Gaur" to Gauri.
The main festival will be held from March 21 to March 26. Some rituals begin a day after Holi and continue for over two weeks.
Young women observe Gangaur seeking a good husband and married women marital bliss and prosperity for their partners.
Thakur Anar Singh of Ahorin Jalore district, who migrated to Kota in 1807 started the Gangaur with royal flavour in Sarthal estate.
Subsequent political developments, including the formation of Jhalawar state and later territorial changes, led to Sarathal becoming an important estate of Kota.
'In Sarathal's royal Gangaur festival, history is not confined to the walls of the fort, it flows through the streets of the town, resonates in every beat of the drum, and continues to live with the same devotion in the worship of Goddess Gauri as it did two hundred years ago', Shubhangi Singh, research scholar at University of Kota told PTI.
Singh said Gangaur in Sarathal is not merely a religious ritual but a celebration of cultural identity and royal pride.
"Even today, on the occasion of Ram Navami, a grand royal procession of Gangaur is taken out from the Sarathal Fort. The procession includes two idols of Isar and Gangaur.
"In the evening, a life-sized idol of Goddess Gangaur, adorned with royal ornaments, emerges from the fort along with Isar. Armed guards lead the procession, reviving the memory of royal splendour," she said.
Women of the royal family perform the traditional Ghoomar dance, while folk dances of the Sahariya tribe and the Kalbelia community give the celebration a touch of diversity and vibrancy, Singh said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
