Festivals have special significance in every individual’s life. It is a time to celebrate the greatness of God, who takes care of each and every need.
The Holy Land of India gives due importance to festivals.
As such, you will find numerous festivals in every corner of India.
One such festival is Gauri Pujan which is celebrated with great devotion by all the Maharashtrians.
Like other festivals, Gauri Pujan has unique features. Goddess Parvati, the mother of Lord Ganesha, is also known as Gauri.
In Gauri Pujan, we worship Goddess Parvati or Gauri. Apart from Maharashtra, Gauri Pujan is also celebrated in a few other places near Maharashtra.
Moreover, Gauri Pujan has the status of being the festival of Maharashtrian women. Gauri Puja is also known as ‘Mangala Gauri’ in Maharashtra.
The festival is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm by Maharashtrian women. They stay awake the whole night on Gauri Pujan and indulge themselves in playing traditional games like Zhimma and Phugdi. It is an occasion for women to enjoy along with their friends.
Both married and unmarried women perform Gauri Pujan. While married women pray for their husband’s long life and well-being, unmarried women perform Gauri Pujan to get an ideal husband.
If you go by the Hindu scriptures, it is said that Sita Mata performed Gauri Pujan to get Lord Rama as his husband.
Goddess Gauri, or Parvati Mata, is the spouse of Lord Shiva. She is the Shakti of Lord Shiva. So, Gauri Pujan is performed to get the blessings of Mata Parvati.
Gauri Puja is done on the fourth or fifth day of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Gauri Pujan is mainly held in a temple; however, some organize this Pooja at home. It is one of the prominent pujas of the Maharashtrian.
Benefits of performing Gauri Puja
- It is beneficial in removing obstacles from married life.
- Performing Gauri Puja is considered good for unmarried women to get the ideal life partner.
- Gauri Puja showers peace and happiness in the life of married couples.
- Gauri Puja brings trust and respect between married couples.
- A couple is blessed with children.
Table of Contents
How to do Gauri Puja?
For performing Gauri Puja, you will need the following items:
Idols of Lord Shiva, Durga, Ganesh, Kalash, Haldi, Roli, Sandalwood Paste, Gangajal, Kumkum, Lamps, Panch Patra, Incense, Fruits, Panchamrit, Betel Leaves, Sweets, Nuts, Coconut, Flowers, Mango Leaves, and Garland.
- First, you need to install the Idol of Lord Ganesh.
- Then install the idols of Lord Shiva and Parvati.
- Chant Gauri Shankar Mantra.
- Light up the Diya and Incense sticks.
- Apply Tilak made from Sandalwood paste, Roli, and Haldi.
- Spread the Akshat.
- Do Gauri Shankar Sadhna and pray to Goddess Gauri.
- Serve Coconut, sweets, and fruits.
- Take Gangajal in your hand and seek the blessings of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
- Lastly, do offer to Brahmins for completing the puja.
The custom of Bringing Gauri Idol or Image Home
The idol of Goddess Gauri is brought one day before Gauri Puja or along with Ganesh Idol. However, some people bring the image of Goddess Gauri on paper.
Usually, people bring an idol of Goddess Gauri, but some people prefer to worship Goddess Gauri’s image. It is believed that holy rays come out of the Gauri idol or image during Gauri Pujan, which puts an end to suffering.
During Gauri Pujan, Goddess Gauri blesses the devotees with prosperity and well-being.
Dressing up for the Gauri Idol
Devotees dress up the idol of Goddess Gauri with colorful clothes and jewelry. The idol of Mata Gauri is draped with a wonderful and colorful sari. The devotees also decorate the Gauri idol with lots of jewelry items such as green bangles, mangal sutra, necklaces, nose rings, etc.
Hindu women regard the mangal sutra and green bangles as very auspicious symbols. They also offer a hairband of flowers known as Veni, which is worn on the head’s backside.
Lastly, the idol of Mata Gauri is decorated with garlands.
Gauri Pujan
Gauri Pujan involves a systematic puja ceremony, usually done by inviting a Pujari (priest) to the home. After the Gauri Pujan, women visit each other’s houses and offer coconut, flowers, fruits, rice, and even a new sari to Mata Gauri’s idol.
All the women dress up in new clothes and wear traditional jewelry on this day. The night of Gauri Pujan is full of festivity as women participate in the celebration and sing Mangala Gauri songs. These Mangala Gauri songs have a traditional base and reflect the lifestyle of married Hindu women.
All the women stay awake the whole night of Gauri Pujan. They take part in various traditional games, such as Zhimma and Phugdi.
The whole night is filled with fun and joy for the women. Males do not take part in the function.
Gauri Visarjan
The idol of Goddess Gauri is immersed in a water body (like a river, sea, or lake) the day following Gauri Pujan. It is known as Gauri Visarjan. It is mainly done on the sixth or seventh day of Ganesh Chaturthi, along with Ganesh Visarjan.
Before Gauri Visarjan, people performed Aarti to the Goddess and offered Prasad prepared cooked rice mixed with curd and cooked fenugreek leaves.
This Prasad is distributed among the devotees, who are a symbol of the blessings of Goddess Gauri.
Gauri Pujan is a major event for every Maharashtrian, and they celebrate it with great joy, enthusiasm, and devotion. The festival makes the bond of love stronger.
The story of Gauri Puja
Once, a rich merchant named Dharam Pal lived in a small village called Anand Nagar. He was blessed with every materialistic richness and lived happily with his wife.
Although he was very rich, Dharam Pal still had no child. This grieved him a lot. However, he continued to worship God and did pious deeds.
Finally, one day he was blessed with a son.
Dharam Pal inquired about his son’s future and was told by the priests that his son would lead a short life. Upon learning this fact, Dharam Pal was filled with much sorrow.
However, his wife consoled him and said that he should have faith in the Almighty and that the blessings of the Lord will put everything in order.
When Dharam Pal’s son grew young, he married him to a pious girl who always worshiped Mata Gauri. After marriage, the girl continued worshipping Mata Gauri and observed Gauri Pujan.
It is said that Mata Gauri is blessed that his husband will lead a long and healthy life.
The story brings out the importance of Gauri Pujan.
So, it is performed by married women for their husband’s long life and well-being.
Gauri Ganapati Story
Shiva Purana and Skanda Purana ascribe the birth of Ganesh to Parvati only. Once, it so happened that Mata Parvati wanted to take a bath, but there were no attendants to guard the house.
So, she prepared an image of a boy out of turmeric paste and infused life into it.
The boy was named Ganesh.
Goddess Parvati told Ganesh to guard the house while she took a bath. After a little while, Lord Shiva arrived and tried to enter the house. Ganesh stopped him.
There was an intense battle between Ganesh and Lord Shiva. Finally, Lord Shiva severed Ganesh’s head with his trident. When Mata Parvati came out and saw Ganesh lying dead, she was filled with sorrow and anger.
She told Lord Shiva that she would destroy the Universe if his son were not brought back to life.
At this, Lord Shiva ordered his Ganas, and an elephant’s head was attached to Ganesh’s body. Lord Shiva installed life in Ganesh and blessed the boy so that people would pray for him before beginning any auspicious task. He called the boy Gaurisuta, Umaputra, Parvatisuta, meaning son of Parvati.
Final Words
In Gauri Pujan, Lord Ganesh and Lord Shiva are also worshiped. Gauri Pujan is an occasion to worship Goddess Gauri, Lord Ganesh, and Lord Shiva, which reaffirms the importance of a happy family. People seek the blessings of Mata Gauri for a happy and fulfilled married life.
Jyeshtha Gauri Puja Date 2024
Jyeshtha Gauri Pujan Date: 11th September 2024, Wednesday
The Jyeshtha Gauri Pooja Muhurat: 06:04 AM to 06:31 PM
Nakshatra Begins at 08:04 PM on 10th September 2024
Nakshatra Ends at 09:22 PM on 11th September 2024
