Gowri Habba festival, predominantly celebrated in parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu on Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya is also celebrated as Hartalika Teej in some parts of North India. On Gauri Habba festival prayers are offered to Maa Parvati who blesses married women on this day with a harmonious wedded life whereas to unmarried women she blesses with the desired groom. On Chaturthi date, Goddess Parvati created Lord Ganesha by carving his body with soil. That is why Gauri Habba is celebrated to worship of Goddess Parvati before Ganpati, the creator of Ganesha. You can also check out this collection of Gowri Habba decoration images, Gowri Habba images, Gowri Ganesha images in Kannada, Gowri Ganesha wishes, SMS and messages along with other fun greeting options such as WhatsApp Stickers, Hike Stickers, and GIFs.

On this day, along with keeping Gauri fast for Goddess Parvati prayers are offered and the incarnation of Adishakti is decorated. In this puja, Goddess Parvati maa is worshipped and a mantapa is set to worship her. The pandal is made and on top, the statue is placed with mango or banana leaves. After this, Goddess Parvati is worshipped. It is believed that Lord Ganesha visits there after you complete worshipping with due devotion and gives blessings of happiness, peace, wealth and prosperity in the house.

What Is Jalagauri?

Jalagauri or Arishinadagauri forms an important part of the celebrations that women make on this day, They usually wear new traditional attire and make these symbolic idols of Gowri made of turmeric aka haldi. The idol is the worshipped with a whole Puja ritual after the goddess’ idol is mounted in a plate, with a cereal (rice or wheat) in it. If you are having the vrata, asthis pooje is to be performed with ‘suchi’ aka hygiene/ cleanliness and ‘shraddhe’ aka dedication.

How to Decorate a Mantapa?

On this day A mantapa made for prayers is generally decorated with banana stem and mango leaves. It is is built around the idol and and the decorations used to adorn Gauri are made outof cotton, vastra (cloth or saree), flower garlands, and ‘gauridaara’ which is a sacred thread having 16 knots. This thread is tied to their right wrists, as blessings of gauri.

How To Prepare Bagina?

Usually 5 baginas are prepared and each of them contains a packet of turmeric, kumkum aka vermilion, black bangles, black beads (the ones used in the mangalsutra), a comb, a small mirror, coconut, cloth, dhaanya (cereal), rice, tur dal, green dal, wheat or Rava and jaggery cut in a cube form.  They are offered in traditional mora aka winnow painted with turmeric.  Gowri baginas are usually given to married women.

Usually, you get beautifully painted and decorated clay idols of Goddess Gowri but amid the COVID-19 situations, it is better to make one. However, remember we are amid coronavirus pandemic and it is not advised to step out of the house to curb the deadly infection.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2020 02:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).