The annual traditional festivals in Rajasthan started with Teej procession
Quick Comment : Gopendra Nath Bhatt
Festivals have started with the pleasant showers of Sawan in Rajasthan, which is famous all over the world for its glorious history and colourful culture. This series of festivals and celebrations will continue till Gangaur festival in the month of April next year and then we will get some days of rest… This proverb is famous for these colourful festivals of Rajasthan.
This Rajasthani proverb “Teej tyohar baawdi, le doobi Gangaur” means that festivals start arriving from Sawan ki Teej and with Gangaur the sequence of these festivals stops for some time. This proverb shows the relation between Teej and Gangaur. From Teej of Sawan to Gangaur of Chaitra month, many festivals are celebrated in Rajasthan, and like Teej, the sequence of these festivals stops for some time with the Gangaur procession. Colourful Rajasthan is famous in the country and the world for its Teej, festivals and celebrations. Here festivals start with the onset of monsoon and after celebrating various festivals throughout the year, they dissolve in different colors of culture.
Teej is an important festival of Rajasthan which is mainly celebrated by women. It is celebrated in the month of Sawan and is also called Hariyali Teej. On the day of Teej, women wear good clothes, apply mehndi and swing. This festival is celebrated as the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is believed that on this day Goddess Parvati did rigorous penance to get Lord Shiva as her husband. This tradition of Teej festival is based on the legend of Goddess Parvati retrieving Lord Shiva. Married women observe fast on this day to pray for the long life and good fortune of their husbands. With greenery, makeup, mehndi, and folk songs, this festival is a symbol of respect for the entire woman power.
Like every year, this time too, a grand celebration of Teej festival was organized in the Pink City Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Governor Haribhau Bagde and Speaker of the State Assembly Vasudev Devnani on Sunday participated in the inaugural ceremony of the two-day celebration of Jaipur's famous folk festival Hariyali Teej. This celebration was organized by the state tourism department. They reached Chhoti Chaupad and saw the grand procession and Shobha Yatra of Teej Mata riding on a palanquin. Governor Bagde and Assembly Speaker Devnani participated in the traditional Teej procession that started from the City Palace and the Maha Aarti by performing the traditional worship of Teej Mata. They prayed to Teej Mata for the prosperity and happiness of the state and wished for everyone's well-being. On this occasion, he said that it is an incomparable experience to join the unique Shobha Yatra of Teej Mata, adorned with traditional tableaux and captivating cultural programs along with elephant and camel riders in traditional attire. Assembly Speaker Devnani said that on this holy festival, we got the privilege of performing the grand Maha Aarti of 'Teej Mata' and we pray for the happiness, prosperity and good fortune of all the people of the state. Prayed to Teej Mata for the happiness, prosperity and good fortune of all the people of the state.
On this occasion, the Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister of the state Diya Kumari warmly welcomed Governor Bagde and Assembly Speaker Devnani. Diya Kumari herself went to invite both the leaders to the Teej festival. Wearing the traditional Lehriya saree of Rajasthan, Diya Kumari was seen in more than one role on Sunday. She was seen full of enthusiasm as the Tourism Minister of the state as well as the representative of the Jaipur royal family.
Jaipur's Teej Sawari is not just a procession, it is a living example of a royal folk tradition going on for three centuries, in which religion, art, women's respect, environment and folk culture flow together. This tradition is still alive in the soul of Jaipur with the same pride. The history of Jaipur's Teej Sawari is a very proud chapter associated with the cultural heritage and traditions of Rajasthan. It is not just a religious festival, but has been a symbol of the royal family's tradition, folk culture and social participation for centuries. After independence, the tourism department of the Rajasthan government has also participated in it and today it has become a festival of choice for tourists from India and abroad.
The tradition of Teej Sawari started during the period of Jaipur's founder Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (1727). This festival was a means of connecting the religious faith and social public life of the women of the royal family. The royal idol of Teej Mata (Maa Parvati) was taken on a city tour in a palanquin and it was called "Shahi Sawari". From 18th to 19th century, Teej Sawari was limited to the royal family only and common people used to see it from a distance. Later in the first half of 20th century, people started getting darshan from close inside the four walls of Jaipur and thereafter, after 1950, Teej Sawari was declared a public festival by the state government in democratic Rajasthan. After the year 2000, the state tourism department gave it a place in the "Rajasthan Tourism Calendar" which attracted a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every year. Today, this Teej Sawari is no longer just a religious but has become a folk festival.
Rajasthani folk dance, music, puppetry, and folk singing are also performed in it.
Teej Sawari starts from the Janani Deorhi of City Palace Jaipur where earlier the women of the royal family used to perform special worship. After this, royal chariots, elephants, camels, horses, bands, folk dancers all become part of this procession. This procession, which starts from Tripolia Gate, is given a grand welcome by the citizens. During the procession, there is also a salute from the royal cannons, traditional instruments, and live folk arts.
This year, the Teej of 2025 included innovations such as leadership of women priests and planting of 2.5 crore saplings, making this tradition a platform for social awareness.
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