Ambaji / Pagapala Yatra

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambaji
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Chaitra Gaur / Photos

Festival celebrating cycle of seasons. An ancient story of Shiv and Parvati is associated with this festival. Gauri, the incarnation of goddess Parvati, is worshipped in household shrines from the third day after the new moon in Chaitra to the third day after the new moon in Vaishakh.

This is the beginning of spring time when new leaves appear on the trees, mango trees bear raw mangoes and chickpeas ripen in the fields. So a savoury dish of young raw mangoes and soaked chickpea lentils and a squash like drink of raw mangoes called Panha is prepared. This snack is then offered to married women. Married women are invited home and honoured by applying kumkum and turmeric powder to their forehead and then treated to these snacks. The first flowers of Son Chapha, which appear in the spring, are offered to the women. In this fashion the new spring and its bounty is appreciated and a close bond is established with the nature.

It is believed that goddess Parvati comes to visit her parents in this month. She is sent back when the month gets over. This tradition has a reference to the story whereby Shankar and Parvati stayed with Parvati’s family for a month.

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