Teej festival in India

With the advent of monsoon, the season of vibrant festivals begins in India. Teej festival is one of the most popular festival of Northern India that falls in this season of incessant rains.

With the onset of monsoon, North-Indian people especially the ladies gets ready to celebrate the colorful Teej festival. It is one of the major feativals of Hindus and mainly celebrated in the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pardesh and Bihar with utmost joy and gaiety.

Coming 24 and 25 July is the auspicious date for this year's Teej Festival. Every year in the month of Shravan, people celebrates this festival as the reunion of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga, who were united after a penance of 100 years. Due to this, Teej festival is also known as the Sawan festival.

The royal state of Rajasthan is the most important destination of India where Teej festival is celebrated with utmost joy and gaiety. Both married and unmarried women celebrates this festival with great enthusiasm. Married women keeping whole day fasting for the well being and prosperity of their husbands whereas unmarried girls keep fasting to get a suitable groom.

On this occasion, ladies dressed up in their new attire, sparkling jewelry and color their hands and feet with heena. Ladies worships the decorated idol of Goddess Parvati and sings traditional Teel songs on this occasion. Colorful swings which are hung on the branches of the trees and processions of embellished elephants are the attractions of the Teej festival.

Jaipur's Teej festival is completely different from the rest of the places of Rajasthan. Here, in Jaipur idol of Goddess Parvati is taken out in a royal procession, so that the common people have a look and pay their homage to the deity. Colorful bullock carts, elephants, chariots are also part of Jaipur's Teej festival.

So, try to visit Jaipur during monsoon season, so that you can enjoy these merrymaking moments and remember them for your entire life.

By Jolly Mazumdar