The festival of Gangaur Puja is dedicated to Shiva-Parvati.  Gangaur means ‘Gan’ and ‘Gaur’.  Gana means Shiva (Isar) and Gaur means Parvati.  Actually Gangaur Puja is the day of worship of Mother Parvati and Lord Shiva.  The festival of Gangaur, celebrated on the third day of Navratri i.e. Tritiya of Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month, is a festival of unbroken good fortune for women. Therefore, on this day women make clay idols of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati and worship them.  It is also known as Gauri Tritiya.  The idol of Gaur consists of Isar (Shiva), Kaniram, Rova Bai, Sova Bai (Kaniram, Rova Bai and Sova Bai are the siblings of Isarji).  This puja has great importance in Rajasthan.  It is said that on the day of this fast, Goddess Parvati took out blood from her finger and distributed suhaag to the women.  Therefore, women worship Gangaur with reverence on this day.

Importance of worshiping Gangaur

In ancient times, Parvati observed fast and penance to get Lord Shankar as her husband.  Lord Shankar was pleased with the penance and asked for a boon.  Parvati desired to have him as her husband.  Parvati’s wish was fulfilled and Parvati ji got married to Shiv ji.  Since then, virgin girls worship Ishtar and Gangaur to get the desired groom.  A married woman performs this puja for the long life of her husband.

How is Gangaur worshipped?

In Rajasthani society, in the first year after marriage, girls go to their home to worship Gangaur. First of all, worship is done by setting up a post and making friends on it.  After which a pot filled with water, five betel leaves and a coconut are placed on it.  Such an urn is kept on the right side of the chowki. Now, after placing one and a quarter rupees on the chowki, we place a betel nut (in the form of Ganeshji) and worship. On the second day of Holika Dahan, the girls who worship Gangaur bring the ashes of Holi Dahan and make eight pieces of it and eight pieces of cow dung.  Makes.  Sixteen small balls are made and placed on the platform.  After that, puja is done by sprinkling kumkum and rice with water. They are kept on the doob and worshiped every day and apply a kajal and a roli tilak on the wall on the first day.  Similarly, two tikkas are given on the second day, three tikkas on the third day, i.e. 16 tikkas are given on the sixteenth day.  She applies kumkum, turmeric, henna and kajal respectively. After that, songs of Gangaur are sung, and keeping a water urn with her, with a drum in her hand, the couple worships her sixteen times with the song of Gangaur. After that, Gangaur,  The story of Ganesh ji, the story tells.  After that, after singing paate songs, paying obeisance to Lord Suryanarayan, she offers water to Lord Suryanarayan.

Actually, such puja is done for the whole sixteen days, but for the first seven days, after the puja, on the seventh day in the evening on the day of Sitala Saptami, Lord Gangaur is brought along with musical instruments and two earthen pots from Kumar’s place.
  Girls sing songs while worshiping Gangaur in Brahmamuhurta in the morning. After singing the song, girls listen to the story of Gangaur.  In the afternoon, Gangaur is offered food and water is brought from the well and given to drink.  Girls come carrying fresh water from the well and singing songs.  Then he gives water to Gangaur while singing a song about giving water. Aarti of Gangaur is performed at night.  Girls fast on a Sunday coming in between Gangaur puja.  Which is called the fast of Suraj Rota.  In this fast, only one thick roti made of wheat flour is eaten and that too without salt. Every evening it is taken to Gangaur to each girl’s house one by one.  Where “Bindaura” of Gangaur is taken out. Sinjara of Gangaur is done on the first day of Gangaur immersion.  Girls apply mehendi.  New clothes are worn, dishes are cooked at home.

Gangaur Ujaman is performed for newly married girls.  Udyapan of Gangaur can be done any time after marriage.  It is also called Ujmana or Ujrana of Gangaur.  In some families, Gangaur Udyapan is performed in the first year after the girl’s marriage.  The rules of Ujaman are different in every society. On the seventeenth day, girls immerse Isar Gangaur in river, pond, well, stepwell and bid farewell. In the evening, before the sun sets, Gangaur is immersed in musical instruments.  They go and whatever offering comes is given to the gardener as per the story. After immersing Gangaur, they come home and sing five congratulatory songs.

How to do Gangaur Ujmana?

On the last day, Guna (fruits), Seera, Puri, wheat are offered to Gangaur. After offering eight Guna, four are taken back. On the day of Gangaur, unmarried girls and married girls worship Gangaur twice, one daily and the other once.  According to the tradition of their respective houses, offerings are made and the puja is done again. This type of puja is done twice on that day. Before the second puja, the married woman keeps a choliya, in which papdi or guna (fruits) are kept.  Sixteen fruits remain for oneself, sixteen fruits for brother, sixteen fruits for daughter-in-law and sixteen fruits for mother-in-law.
Saree and wedding paraphernalia are placed over the chola. After the puja, bayna is taken out by placing sixteen sweet mathri, halwa and rupees in a bowl.  And it is given to the elder woman of the house or any Brahmin by touching her feet.  If you want to do Udyapan of Gangaur then do it like this.  Get all the wedding things and keep them in a box and also keep two sarees in the same box. To perform the Udyapan of Gangaur, a wedding box of sixteen items should be made.  All 16 items are required 16 each.
Mehndi, glass, comb, vermilion, bindi, kajal, bangle, toe ring, blouse piece, handkerchief, nose ring or nath, hair pin or ribbon, rupees, basket or basket in which all the items are to be kept. Each basket should have one of the above mentioned items-  Keep one.  In this way sixteen boxes will be made.  Each basket should contain fifteen items.  The number of items including the basket will become sixteen. Rupees can be kept from Rs 10 to Rs 100 as per your devotion. Keep Puri-Halwa at sixteen places in front of Gangaur and give it to sixteen married Brahmins with food.