It is very important to tell the story of Gangaur in Gangaur Puja.

Lord Shankar and Parvati ji set out on a journey with Narad ji.  While walking, they reached a village on the day of Chaitra Shukla Tritiya.  Hearing the news of his arrival, the best noble women of the village started preparing delicious food to welcome him.  There was a lot of delay in preparing the food but the women from the ordinary clan reached there for worship with turmeric and Akshat in the plates before the women from the noble clan.  Parvati ji accepted his offer of worship and sprinkled all the nectar on him.  She returned after getting the blessing of getting an eternal marriage.  Later, women from high castes came to worship Gauri ji and Shankar ji with various dishes.  Seeing them, Lord Shankar said to Parvati ji, ‘You have given all the marital bliss only to women from ordinary families.  What will you give them now? Parvat ji replied, ‘Prannath, don’t worry about it.  I have given those women only juice made from superficial substances.  But I will cut my finger and give the nectar of my blood to these high caste women.  Whoever gets this sweet nectar will be as fortunate as me in body and mind.  When the women finished worshiping, Parvati ji cut off her finger and sprinkled it on them, whoever sprinkled it got the same match.  Women have been observing this fast since ancient times for unbroken good fortune.

After this, with the permission of Lord Shiva, Parvati ji took bath on the river bank and started worshiping him by making Mahadev of sand.  After the worship, make a dish made of sand and offer it to Lord Shiva.  After this, she circumambulated, applied tilak on her forehead with soil from the river bank, took the prasad of two grains of sand and returned back to Lord Shiva. Parvati ji was very late at the river bank during all this worship etc.  So Mahadev ji asked him the reason for coming late.  On this, Parvati ji said – ‘My brothers, brothers-in-law and other maternal relatives were found there, there was a delay in talking to them. But God was God after all.  Perhaps he wanted to create something else.  So he asked – ‘What did you offer after worshiping and what prasad did you get?’ Parvati ji replied – ‘My sister-in-law fed me milk and rice.  After eating that, I am coming straight here.’  Hearing this, Lord Shiva also started towards the river bank in the greed of eating milk and rice.  Parvati ji was in dilemma.  They thought that now the whole story would be revealed.  Therefore, he silently meditated on Lord Shiva and prayed, ‘O Lord!  If I am your exclusive maid, then you protect my dignity at this time.

Praying like this, Parvati ji also started following Shankar ji.  They had just walked a short distance when they saw a beautiful Maya palace on the banks of the river.  When they reached inside the palace, they saw that Shivaji’s brother-in-law and Salhaj etc. were present there along with their families.  He welcomed Shankar-Parvati with great love. They stayed there for two days and were greatly welcomed.  On the third day, when Parvati ji asked Shankar ji to go, he was not ready.  They wanted to stay longer.  Parvati ji got upset and went alone.  Then Shankar ji was forced to go with Parvati.  Narad ji also went along.  All three went far away while walking.  Since it was evening, Lord Bhaskar was reaching his abode.  Then Shiv ji suddenly said to Parvati – ‘I have forgotten my garland in your mother’s house.

Parvati ji said – ‘Okay, I will bring it.’  But Lord Shiva did not allow him to go.  For this work he sent Brahma’s son Narad ji there.  When Narad ji went there and saw, he could not see even a trace of the palace.  There was a dense forest far and wide.

Narad ji was very surprised to see this dark and scary environment.  Narad ji started wandering there and started wondering whether he had come to a wrong place?  Suddenly lightning flashed and Narad ji saw the garland hanging on a tree.  Narad ji took off the garland and in a frightened state, quickly came to Shiv ji and narrated the details of his calamity to Shiv ji.

Hearing this incident, Lord Shiva said laughingly – ‘O sage!  Whatever scene you saw is the unique illusion of Parvati.  She wanted to keep the matter of her funeral a secret from you, so she lied.  Then to prove it true, he created Maya Mahal with the power of his Pativrata Dharma.  Therefore, to highlight the truth, I also sent you to that place again to bring the rosary.

On this Parvatiji said- ‘What am I worthy of?’

Then Narad ji bowed his head and said – ‘Mother!  You are the best among the devoted.  You are fortunate Adishakti.  All this is the effect of your patriotism.  The women of the world can attain eternal good fortune and can create and destroy all attainments just by remembering your name.  Then what is this big deal for you? Oh Mother!  Secret worship is more powerful and economical.  As far as hiding the incident arising out of the influence of their husbands is concerned.  That also seems appropriate because worship should be done secretly.  I am very happy to see your spirit and miraculous power.

This is my blessing – ‘Those women who secretly worship their husbands and pray for their well-being, will get the blessings of Mahadev Ji and will get a long-lived husband and all their wishes will be fulfilled.  Then the women who worship you with devotion today will definitely get good fortune.

Saying this, Narad ji bowed down and went to Devlok and Shiv ji and Parvati ji started towards Kailash.  Since Goddess Parvati observed this fast secretly, according to the same tradition even today women observe this fast secretly from men.  This is the reason why women have been observing this fast since ancient times for continuous good fortune.