Gowri Festival-Karnataka

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An idol of Goddess Gowri (Goddess Parvati) is worshipped on the Gowri Habba day. Usually the idol is prepared using Turmeric or a clay idol of Goddess Gowri is also procured from the market. There are several regional variations in the observance. In some places, a clay idol of Ganesha is also worshipped. The main legend is associated with a creation of Ganesha from her own body Goddess Gowri.

According to the legend, Lord Shiva, the Hindu God of resolution, was away at a war. His wife Pavarti, wanted to bathe and having no-one to guard the door to her house, conceived of the idea of creating a son who could guard her. Parvati created Ganesha out of the sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and breathed life into the figure. She then set him to stand guard at her door and instructed him not to let anyone enter.

In the meantime, Lord Shiva returned from the battle but as Ganesha did not know him, stopped Shiva from entering Parvati's chamber. Shiva, enraged by Ganesh's impudence, drew his sword and cut off Ganesha's head. Pavarti emerged to find Ganesha decapitated and flew into a rage. She took on the form of the Goddess Kali and threatened destruction to the three worlds of Heaven, Earth and the subterranean earth.

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Swarna Gowri Vratha:
On this day, Hindu women and young girts are in new/grand traditional attire. They make either jalagauri or arishinadagauri a symbolic idol of Gowri made of turmeric and bestow her for Puja. These days ready-made beautifully painted and decorated clay idols of Goddess Gowri can be bought along with Ganesha statues, at the local market. The goddess idol is mounted in a plate, with a cereal rice or wheat in it. According to the Vrata, Asthis pooje is to be performed with 'suchi' cleanliness and 'shraddhe' dedication. A mantapa, generally decorated with banana stem and mango leaves, is built around the idol.

The Gauri is decorated with decorations made of cotton, vastra(silk cloth/saree), flower garlands, and ladies get their 'gauridaara' a sacred thread with 16 knots tied to their right wrists, as blessings of gauri and as part of the vratha. At least 5 baginas are prepared as part of the vratha. Each baagina usually contains a packet of arshina turmeric , kumkuma vermilion , black bangles, black beads (used in the mangalsutra), a comb, a small mirror, baLe bicchoLe, coconut, blouse piece, dhaanya cereal , rice, tur dal, green dal, wheat or rava and jaggery cut in a cube form. The bagina is offered in a traditional mora winnow painted with turmeric . One such bagina is offered to Goddess Gowri and set aside. The remaining Gowri baaginas are given to married women.

Gauri Habbada - Mangaladravya:
Another specialty of this festival is that the 'tavaru maneyavaru' the married woman's parents / brothers send gauri habbada - mangaladravya to the married girls of their family. Some send money as representation of mangaladravya. In South India many sweet and savouries like the delectable hoLige / Obattu, payasa, Huggi/chitranna and Bajji, Kosumbari are prepared and offer to the Deity before family and friends gather for a traditional get to gather. It continues to the next day with the celebrations for Lord Ganesha's Festival .

Culture of Festivities:

Ganesha loves food, his favourite is Modak, hence is the main sweet dish during the festival. It is called modakam in South India. A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of fresh or dry-grated coconut, jaggery, dry fruits and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried. Another popular sweet dish is the karanji (karjikaiin Kannada) which is similar to the modak in composition and taste but has a semicircular shape.

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