Swarna Gowri Vratha 2010 – Gowri Habba festival in Karnataka

Swarna Gowri Vratha 2010 date is on 10th of September in this year, which is also called Gowri Habba festival in Karnataka. SwarnaGowri – Kannadigas (Kannada speaking language people) celebrate Gowri Habba, a Hindu festival celebrated a day before Ganesh Chaturthi.

Goddess Gowri (Gauri), the mother of Ganesha and wife of Shiva, is worshiped throughout India for her ability to bestow upon her devotees courage & power. Hindu belief has it that Goddess Gowri is the very incarnation of Aadhi Shakthi Mahamaya. She is the Shakthi of Lord Shiva. It is believed that on Thadige, or the third day of the month of Bhaadrapada, Goddess Gowri comes home like any married girl comes to her parents’ house. The next day Lord Ganesha, her son, comes as if to take her back to Kailasa.

How to perform Swarna Gowri Vratha

The Swarna Gowri vratha is performed on the occasion, to appease the Goddess.

On this day, married women, after bath, wear new/grand clothes and dress up the young girls of the family. Then they do the ‘sthapana’ of either jalagauri or arishinadagauri. These days beautifully painted and decorated clay idols of Goddess Gowri can be bought at the local market. The goddess’ idol is mounted in a plate, with a cereal in it. Asthis puje is to be performed with ‘suchi’ and ‘shraddhe’, the ladies go to temples or to another person’s house, where the puje is performed according to set procedures or do the puje in their own homes. The gauridaara has 16 knots and each knot is worshipped with mantras, during the performance of the vratha.

The most interesting part of the festival is probably offering the bagina. At least 5 baginas are prepared as part of the vratha. Each baagina usually contains a packet of arshina (turmeric), kumkuma, 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.