Gangaur at a glance
What it is: the spring festival in which the women of Rajasthan worship Gauri, a form of Parvati, with her husband Shiva.
- When
- From the day after Holi to Chaitra Shukla Tritiya
- Ends
- Usually late March or the first half of April
- Where
- Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur and villages
- Lasts
- About eighteen days
- Best day
- The last day, for the procession
- Good for
- Women travellers, photographers, culture lovers
- Who keeps it: women and girls, married and unmarried.
- Arrive: two days before the finale, to see the last mornings of worship as well as the procession.
- Book by: a few months ahead for Jaipur and Udaipur, earlier still if Gangaur coincides with Easter.
The goddess who comes home for spring
In Rajasthan the story has a homely shape. Gauri is imagined as a young bride who comes back to her parents' house in spring, as every Rajasthani bride does, and stays for a while before her husband, called Isar here, comes to take her home. The eighteen days of Gangaur are her visit.
The name: Gan is a name for Shiva, and Gaur is Gauri, the fair one, a name for Parvati. Gangaur is the festival of their marriage.
The divine couple: together they are the model of a long and loving marriage.
- The old story: Parvati performed years of devotion to win Shiva as her husband, and when he finally accepted her, she blessed all women with the same good fortune.
- Why girls keep it: unmarried girls pray for a husband as good as Shiva.
- Why wives keep it: married women pray for the long life and happiness of the husbands they have.
- A beloved daughter: the women of the house look after Gauri for eighteen days, singing to her, feeding her and dressing her.
- The farewell: on the last day they send her back to her husband with tears and songs, which is why the final procession feels like a wedding party and a farewell at once.
- A women's festival: men carry palanquins and play the drums at the end, but the worship, the songs and the knowledge belong to the women.
- Passed down: grandmothers teach the songs to granddaughters.
- A new bride's Gangaur: she usually keeps her first Gangaur in full, all eighteen days, and in many families spends it at her parents' home.
- If you are invited in: you will see the most private side of Rajasthan's devotion, and the most cheerful.
- A turning of the year: it begins as Holi ends and the winter crops ripen, and ends in the warmth of Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu year in much of north India.
- A harvest festival too: in the villages it is a thanksgiving for the wheat in the fields and a prayer for the rains to come.
When Gangaur falls
After Holi: Holi falls on the full moon of Phalgun, and Gangaur begins the next day.
The run: about eighteen days, until Chaitra Shukla Tritiya, the third day of the bright half of the month, when the final processions are held.
Budhi Gangaur: in Jaipur the procession of the elder Gangaur goes out again on the day after.
- Starts
- First day of the dark half of Chaitra
- Finale
- Chaitra Shukla Tritiya
- Budhi Gangaur
- The day after, in Jaipur
- In 2027
- Holi in the third week of March
- Days
- Low or mid thirties
- Nights
- Mild
- It moves: the calendar is lunar, so the festival shifts by a few weeks each year. It usually ends in late March or the first half of April.
- In 2027: Holi falls in the third week of March, so Gangaur should end in the second week of April.
- Confirmed each year: the processions are set by the palace and the temple calendars, so we confirm the dates each year.
- Coming for Holi: you can stay on or come back for the finale.
- The weather: warm and bright, with clear light. By mid-April the heat begins to build, so we plan sightseeing for early mornings and evenings and keep afternoons for rest.
- Month guides: Rajasthan in March and Rajasthan in April cover the wider season.
The eighteen days, morning by morning
The images of Isar and Gauri
In villages: the images are often modelled in clay, sometimes using the ash of the Holi bonfire.
- In cities: many families keep painted wooden images, brought out year after year and dressed in new clothes and jewellery.
- Each family its own way: in some homes a small pair of images stands alone. In others there are figures of the goddess's whole household.
Grass, flowers and water
Each morning: girls and young women go out in groups, singing, with pots of water on their heads and baskets for flowers and fresh green grass, called dub.
- The offering: back home they offer the water, grass and flowers to the goddess, and touch the grass to her forehead in a gesture of care.
- Green shoots: in many homes women sow wheat or barley in small pots at the start, water it daily and offer the shoots to Gauri at the end.
The songs
The heart of it: the women sing of Gauri's beauty, of Isar coming to fetch her, and of mothers-in-law, brothers and the small dramas of family life.
- Every family's own: many songs name the women of the household and their husbands.
- Ask for a verse: your guide can translate. They are tender, funny and often surprisingly frank.
Henna, new clothes and fasting
Mehndi: as the festival nears its end, hands are painted with henna in fine patterns.
- Finery: women bring out their best saris, odhnis and jewellery.
- The fast: many married women fast on the last day until the worship is complete. Unmarried girls keep a lighter fast.
- Try it: our page on mehndi, the art of henna explains the craft and how we arrange a session with an artist.
Ghudlia in Marwar
What: in Jodhpur and the villages of Marwar, girls carry a ghudlia in the evenings, a clay pot pierced with holes with a lamp burning inside.
- The custom: they go from house to house singing and receiving small gifts.
- The story: it is linked to an old tale of a raid and a rescue, and it is one of the loveliest sights of the festival. Our Jodhpur guide has the city's festival calendar.
The last day, the farewell
At home: on Chaitra Shukla Tritiya the goddess is dressed in her finest and worshipped for the last time.
- To the water: she is carried in procession to a lake, tank or well. In many places the images get a farewell bath, and the clay ones are immersed.
- The end: the women go home, and the eighteen days are over until next year.
Gangaur in Jaipur, the royal procession
The royal Gangaur: on the last day, the palace's image of the goddess, dressed in jewels and silk, is carried out of the Zenani Deorhi, the gate of the women's palace of the City Palace, in a palanquin.
The route: it leaves through Tripolia Gate, the triple-arched royal gate onto Tripolia Bazaar, and moves slowly through the walled city.
The order of the city: decorated horses and camels lead, brass bands and drummers follow, and folk dancers turn in the road.
- Starts from
- Zenani Deorhi, City Palace
- Leaves by
- Tripolia Gate
- Route
- Tripolia Bazaar and the walled city
- Time
- Late afternoon or early evening
- Second procession
- Budhi Gangaur, the next day
- The old establishment: members of the old palace establishment walk in their turbans and achkans, long coats.
- The goddess: she comes under a canopy, while the crowd presses forward to see her.
- The crowd: women of every age line the route in their finest leheriya and bandhani, and families gather on every rooftop and balcony of Tripolia Bazaar from the afternoon.
- The programme: Rajasthan Tourism usually supports it with folk music and dance, and the palace sometimes opens a viewing area for guests.
- Our rooftop: seats above Tripolia Bazaar are prized. We arrange a place on a roof above the route with a family we know.
- Before the day: shops around Gangauri Bazaar, the lane named for the festival, sell painted images of Isar and Gauri, their tiny clothes and jewellery, and cosmetics and bangles for the last day.
- The bazaars: our page on the bazaars of Jaipur explains where each trade lives.
Gangaur in Udaipur, down to the lake
Gangaur Ghat: the triple-arched gate beside Bagore ki Haveli, where the women of the old city have brought the goddess for generations.
The procession: on the final days, women in their brightest saris carry painted images of Gauri down the lanes, singing as they go.
- The bath: the images are bathed in the lake at the foot of the gate.
- The royal view: it is said the Maharanas once watched from Mohan Mandir, the small pavilion on the water nearby.
- The Mewar Festival: held at the same time, with music and dance, fireworks over the water and boats on Lake Pichola.
- Its programme: it changes from year to year, so we check it each season. Our page on the Mewar Festival explains more.
- Where we watch: a balcony or rooftop above the crowd, or a private boat on the water, the view the royal family once had.
- Respect: the ghat is crowded and the procession has right of way. Give the women their space, and ask before photographing anyone up close.
Other places to see Gangaur
Bikaner
Mornings: the old city's lanes fill with groups of women singing, for Bikaner keeps Gangaur with great devotion.
- Processions: colourful and local, in the old city on the last days.
- Read more: our Bikaner guide and the best time to visit Bikaner explain the city's spring calendar.
Jodhpur
Ghudlia evenings: the highlight of Gangaur in the city.
- Dhinga Gavar: a couple of weeks after Gangaur, a night when women, some in disguise, roam the old city's lanes with sticks and tease the men they meet.
- A word of warning: it is local, boisterous and not for every visitor, so ask us before planning around it.
Nathdwara
- The temple: at Nathdwara, the temple town of Shrinathji, the deity receives special adornments and there is music in the temple.
- Darshan: pilgrims crowd in for the viewing of the god, and the town is full of colour.
Villages and country houses
- At its most natural: girls singing at the well, clay images under a neem tree and a small procession to the tank at the end.
- Where to stay: a family-run fort or haveli, such as Deogarh Mahal in Mewar or Samode Palace near Jaipur, among people who know you by name.
The last day in Jaipur, hour by hour
Early morning, the last worship
Where: a family home or a temple, at about seven, when women gather to worship the goddess for the last time.
- What you see: the songs at their fullest and the images dressed for the farewell.
- Then: breakfast and a rest.
Late morning, the bazaars
The walk: through the walled city with your guide as it prepares.
- The scene: women shopping for bangles and the last bits of finery, mehndi artists working on the pavements, busy sweet shops.
- What to buy: leheriya, or a pair of lac bangles from the makers on Maniharon ka Rasta.
Afternoon, rest
- Why: the procession usually starts in the late afternoon or early evening, and you will be on your feet for a while.
- How: lunch and a long rest at your hotel.
Late afternoon, the rooftop
- Arrive early: at our rooftop above Tripolia Bazaar, with water, chai and a little shade.
- Watch: the crowd build below, families arriving on the roofs around you, and the horses and bands gathering near the gate.
Early evening, the procession
The moment: the procession emerges from Tripolia Gate and moves slowly through the bazaar, with the goddess in her palanquin at its heart.
- Look at the faces: watch the women in the crowd as she passes.
- Afterwards: wait for the street to clear before you come down, which takes longer than you expect.
Night, dinner
- Dinner: late, on a haveli roof or back at your palace hotel, with a Rajasthani thali and perhaps a folk musician.
- The next day: if you are still in town, the procession of Budhi Gangaur, which is usually a little calmer.
Etiquette and respect
Ask before photographing: women at worship or in the procession, and accept no gracefully. Many will say yes after a smile and a word.
Don't touch: never step over or touch the images of the goddess, the offerings or the pots of water and grass the women carry.
- Shoes off: before entering a home or a shrine, and sit where you are shown.
- Dress modestly, and brightly: women visitors are often offered a leheriya dupatta to wear, and it is a lovely gesture to accept.
- Right of way: let the procession have it. Don't push forward for a picture or walk into the route.
- A gift: if you are invited into a home, a box of sweets is right. Our guide will help you choose.
- On the rooftops: keep children away from the edges, and expect the crowd below to move suddenly when the goddess appears.
The food and sweets of Gangaur
Gune: in many families the special sweet, small crisp pastries of flour and ghee, fried and sometimes dipped in sugar.
Offered first: gune are made in quantity and offered to the goddess before they are shared.
- Breaking the fast: women who fast on the last day break it with gune and other festival sweets, and plates go between neighbours and relatives.
- Lighter spring food: kadhi and seasonal vegetables, and dahi bada, lentil dumplings in yoghurt.
- Cooling drinks: buttermilk spiced with cumin.
- In Jaipur: the kachori of the walled city's old sweet shops in the morning, and a clay cup of lassi before noon.
- A royal meal: we arrange a private thali on a palace terrace.
- Read more: our food of Jaipur guide and our Rajasthani food guide explain the dishes.
How we plan around Gangaur
The last two or three days: we plan around them, so you see the final mornings of worship at home, the bazaars preparing and the procession itself.
In Jaipur: we hold a rooftop place on the route with a family we know.
- In Udaipur: we hold a balcony above Gangaur Ghat or a private boat on Pichola.
- Busy, not overwhelming: Jaipur and Udaipur fill with Indian families in these weeks, especially when the festival falls near a long weekend.
- Book ahead: hotels a few months ahead, and earlier still if Gangaur coincides with Easter.
- With Holi: our Holi in Rajasthan journey can be extended to include it.
Where to stay in Jaipur
Samode Haveli: Samode Haveli puts you inside the walled city, close enough to walk to the procession and back.
- Rambagh Palace: Rambagh Palace, the former home of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, gives you lawns and calm after the crowds.
- Jai Mahal Palace: Jai Mahal Palace sits between the two in style.
- Compare: our guide to luxury hotels in Jaipur.
Where to stay in Udaipur
- Inside the City Palace: Shiv Niwas Palace and Fateh Prakash Palace are a short walk from Gangaur Ghat.
- On the water: Taj Lake Palace, on its island, gives you a view of the festival from the lake.
Journeys and places to combine with Gangaur
Holi, then Gangaur
- The plan: see Holi in Udaipur or Jaipur, travel for a week or two, and come back for the Gangaur finale.
- Read more: our page on Holi in Rajasthan explains the festival that starts the eighteen days.
Jaipur and Udaipur together
The flight: about an hour between them.
- Both finales: if the calendars allow, the first day of the finale in one city and the next in the other.
- The journey: our Golden Triangle and Udaipur journey links the two.
Tigers at the end of the season
- Why spring: as the heat builds the forests thin and the tigers of Ranthambore come to the waterholes, so it is a good season for sightings.
- Distance: Ranthambore is three to four hours from Jaipur.
Women's festivals across the year
- Teej: Gangaur's monsoon sister, Teej, follows the same royal route through Jaipur in July or August.
- Together: they are the two great women's festivals of Rajasthan.
Who will love Gangaur, and who won't
The curious: you will love it if you want to see how Rajasthani families live their faith, and would rather be welcomed into a courtyard than shown a monument.
Good humour: it suits those who enjoy music, colour and crowds in good humour.
- Women travellers: they often find it the most moving festival of the year, because so much of it happens among women, and they are invited in.
- Photographers: the procession and the rooftops of Tripolia Bazaar in the evening light.
- Less rewarding if: you want a single, dramatic spectacle, or dislike waiting in a crowd. The eighteen days are quiet and domestic, and the procession is slow and dense.
- For colour and abandon: come for Holi instead.
- For lights and shopping: choose Diwali.
- Side by side: our festival calendar compares every festival.