गौरा पर्व

The tradition & historical record

Gaura Parva (Nepali: गौरा पर्व; Saton–Athon (Kumaoni: सातों-आठों) or Gamara) is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people residing in Sudurpashchim Province and parts of Karnali Province of Nepal as well as in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state of India. The festival commemorates the wedding of the goddess Gaura/Gauri (Parvati) to Shiva. The festival falls in the Hindu month of Bhadra (August/September). Over the years, the festivals has become an identifying factor for the people of Sudurpashchim region. It is considered to be one of the most important festivals of the Khas community of Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces of Nepal. The celebration of the festival has also spread to other parts of the country. In the Nepalese capital city of Kathmandu, people also gather at Tundikhel ground nowadays on the final day of the festival and perform deuda dance. In India, the festival is celebrated in the regions around Pithoragarh district of Kumaon division of Uttarakhand state. ¹

The name of the festival is derived from the local name of the goddess Gauri. Gauri is the consort of the Shiva, one of the principal deities of Hinduism. Since Gauri is the daughter of Himavan, the embodiment of the Himalayas, the people of hilly and mountainous region of western Nepal and Uttarakhand consider the goddess as their kin. In Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state of India, the festival is known as Saton–Athon or Satu–Athu, translating to seventh and eight. The festival is called so because the main celebration of the festival takes place on the seventh and eight-day of the festival. ¹

There are many tales regarding the origin of the Gaura. On this occasion, women worship goddess Gauri, the wife of Shiva for their husbands' health and long age. The loving bond of Shiva (Maheshvara) and Parvati (Gaura) is celebrated during the festival. Gauri is believed to have undergone a rigorous penance to obtain Shiva as her husband. The penance of the goddess is venerated in this festival. According to another tale, Sahastrarjuna, one of the Heheya dynasty kings, killed Brahmins of the line of Bhrigu while demanding the return of his wealth. The grieving widowed wives of the Brahmins fasted and prayed to the goddess Gauri, to protect their integrity. One of the Brahmin woman then gave birth to a skillful son who went to blind the king Sahastrarjuna. The king then apologised to the women for his crime. In honour of the benevolence and omnipotence of the goddess Gauri, this festival is said to be celebrated. ¹

Gaura Parva is a lunar festival. The date of the festival is calculated by the official astrological committee (Panchang Samiti) every year. The occurrence of festival usually falls in the month of either August or September according to Gregorian calendar and either Shrawan or Bhadra month according to Nepali calendar. ¹

In Nepal, the celebration period of Gaura Parva could either fall in the bright lunar phase of Bhadra month (Bhadra śukla pakṣa) or in the dark lunar phase of the Bhadra month (Bhadra kṛṣṇa pakṣa), which is determined according to astrological calculations. The Gaura which falls on Krishna Paksha (dark lunar phase) is known as Adheri Gaura and which falls on Shukla Paksha (bright lunar phase) is known as Ujeli Gaura. During Ujeli Gaura, the celebration of Gaura Parva begins at Bhadra māsa śukla pakṣa panchami tithi and ends on the day of Bhadra masa śukla paksha ashtami tithi. However, on the year while the rise of Agastya constellation (Canopus) is prior to Bhadra śukla ashtami, the festival is celebrated 15 days later during the dark phase of the month (kṛṣṇa pakṣa). And during Adheri Gaura, the celebration of Gaura Parva usually begins at Bhadra māsa kṛṣṇa pakṣa panchami tithi and ends on the day of Bhadra masa kṛṣṇa paksha ashtami tithi. ¹

In India, the festival is celebrated from the day of Bhadra māsa śukla pakṣa panchami tithi to day of Bhadra masa śukla paksha ashtami tithi. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Gaura (festival)”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Gaura Parva is Hindu festival celebrated in Nepal and Kumaon region of India, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. ²