SSC
The Gaura-Gauri Puja, which celebrates the marriage of Shiva and Parvati around Diwali, is a festival of which state?
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Answer: Option A — Chhattisgarh
Detailed Solution
The Gaura-Gauri Puja is a popular festival of Chhattisgarh, celebrated around Diwali, in the month of Kartika (October-November). It is celebrated by the Gond and other tribal and rural communities of the state, and it marks the marriage of Lord Shiva (Gaura) and Goddess Parvati (Gauri).
During the festival, clay idols of Gaura (Shiva) and Gauri (Parvati) are made and installed in a central place in the village, often under a tree or at a decorated platform. The celebrations begin on the night of Lakshmi Puja (the new moon of Kartika) and continue through the night. Women carry the idols in procession, singing traditional "Gaura-Gauri songs", which describe the wedding of Shiva and Parvati and the life of the village. The singing and dancing are accompanied by the music of drums (dafla, nagara and gudum), and many people go into a trance during the celebrations. A unique ritual of the festival is the "sota", in which devotees, as a vow, have their hands or arms lashed with a whip made of rope, believing that it removes sins and brings good fortune. In the morning, the idols are taken in a procession and immersed in a pond or river.
The festival reflects the close link between the tribal and folk traditions of Chhattisgarh and the worship of Shiva and Parvati. Shiva is especially popular among the tribal communities of central India.
Other festivals of Chhattisgarh include Hareli (the first festival of the agricultural year, in Shravana), Pola (worship of bullocks), Teeja (a women's festival), Cherchera (a harvest festival in Pausha), the Bastar Dussehra and the Madai festivals.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Assam celebrates the Bihus and the Doul Utsav.
- ✗Kerala celebrates Onam and Vishu.
- ✗Punjab celebrates Lohri and Baisakhi.
Quick tip
Remember: The Gaura-Gauri Puja = Chhattisgarh, the night of Diwali and the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. Do not confuse it with Gangaur, the spring festival of Rajasthan dedicated to Gauri.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.