Omkar Dattatray
The pious land of India is famous in the whole world for its festivals, fairs and festivities and the crown of the country – Jammu & Kashmir is no exception to it. The married women of north and western India especially the married Hindu women celebrate the unique festival of Karwa Chauth for the longevity of the life, safety, security, good martial life and relations as well as for the prosperity of their husbands. Even some unmarried girls who long for good partners in their future life also celebrate the fast of Karwa Chauth. This year the festival of Karwa Chauth will be celebrated on 13th October. The festival of Karwa Chauth is dedicated to elephant God Lord Ganesha and Mata Karwa and it is an annual festival and is celebrated with fanfare and great pomp and show by the married women who keep Nirjal-Vrat and break the fast after the appearance of moon at night on the offering of water by the husband. Throughout the day of fasting the married women pray for the long, healthy, prosperous and happy and contented married life of their couple. The Karwa Chauth is a unique festival in the sense that in other religions such festival dedicated to the husbands by the married women is not found and this lends credence to the fact and ritual that the Indian and to be specific the Hindu married women are Pativrata and they do not think in their wildest dreams about the other men and in fact their husbands are their gods and they take pleasure in serving them. The preparations for celebrating of the festival of Karwa Chauth are made well in advance and the married women eagerly wait for the coming of this festival and on this occasion they pray for the blessing and long life of their husbands. There is a good and inspiring story behind the celebration of the Karwa Chauth festival and the story runs as this. The story behind this festival is this that a married women named Karwa lived near river Tungbhadra river.One day her husband while bathing in the river Tunghbadhra was caught by a crocodile and it was pulling his leg and the poor man was crying for help. On seeing his husband being caught by the crocodile the women tied the crocodile with a thread and fastened the thread with a tree. She solicited the help of Yama but he showed helplessness and said that the time for the departure of crocodile has not come yet. However Karwa protested and threatened to curse Yama and on this Yama was much impressed and he got her husband freed from crocodile and spared his life observing the fasting from morning to evening up to the appearance of the moon. The married women even abstain from taking of the water throughout the whole day for the welfare and long life of their husbands. There is great significance of this festival and in the total fasting on this day. The fasting on the occasion of Karwa Chauth helps in creating a strong bond of relationship between the couples and this bonding gets stronger by the observance of Nerjalla Vrat throughout the day and the husband takes it as a big favor for them from their wife as this shows the complete loyalty of the wife towards their husband. The festival of celebrating of the Karwa Chauth is the great testimony of the rich cultural and traditional legacy of India and in the observance of the fast on the occasion of the Karwa Chauth shows the great and pious rituals and traditions and because of this the festival is very unique as the women pray for the longevity of the life and welfare of their husbands. Karwa Chauth as already said is a festival celebrated by Hindu women of northern and western India on the fourth day after Katika Purnima. Karwa Chauth is one of the main festivals of Hindus and is celebrated with gaiety, fervor and enthusiasm by the married women in dedication and in favour of their husbands and the festival has got much importance and significance in Hindu religion and therefore the men should cooperate and encourage their wives in the observance of the fast and in fact the festival of Karwa Chauth strengthens the bond of relationship and married life of the couples. Karwa Chauth is one day festival celebrated annually by married Hindu women in which they observe total fast from sun rise to moonrise and the wives keep complete fast without drinking water and food for the safety, security and long life of their husbands. Keeping a fast without drinking and eating food throughout day is not easy but the doting wives perform all these rituals with much love and respect for their husbands. If we talk about the literal meaning of Karwa Chauth, it means offering Argya to moon using an earthen pot known as Karwa on the Chaturthi of Kartika month. The festival falls on the fourth day of the dark fortnight in Kartika month every year. Though the origin of this festival is still very hazy, there are some anecdotes associated with it. These are -Karwa Chauth story of Queen Veervati, Karwa Chauth Story of Queen Draupadi, Karwa Chauth story of Karwa, Karwa Chauth story of Satyavan and Savitri and the story of Karwa is more relevant and is the widely held view about the festival and so it has been outlined in detail at above. The festival of Karwa Chauth holds utmost importance in the Hindu culture. The prominence of this festival can be widely observed in the northern and north western regions of the country. As already said India is a country of festivals and rituals. From north to south, east to west there are a number of festivals. One major and significant festival celebrated in northern part of the country is Karwa Chauth. Married Hindu and Sikh women celebrate Karwa Chauth by fasting for the long life and well being of their husbands. The idea behind celebrating of the festival is to pray and wish for the well being, prosperity, longevity of their husbands. Karwa Chauth is made of two words, Karwa means an earthen oil lamp and Chauth means fourth. The day of Karwa Chauth is celebrated close to Diwali, exactly falls on the fourth day of the first fortnight of Kartik. The Kartik month celebrates the harvest time, where it is for meeting people and celebration. The Karwa Chauth is a celebration of the beautiful bond between the husband and wife celebrating love togetherness. Karwa Chauth has become an occasion than prayer. Karwa Chauth began as a festival for celebrating sisterhood and social importance. In earlier times, girls were married at a young age, according to the tradition the girls had to leave the house to stay with the in laws. After the wedding the girls would become lonely and no one to share their problems and love. On the day of wedding a small ceremony used to be conducted, where a woman becomes the bride’s god sister for the life time and shared a sanctified bond of friendship. The God sister would share and empathize with the bride in times of troubles, stress and hardships, sharing their problems with each other. The festival of Karwa Chauth was created to celebrate the friendship, sisterhood and togetherness. Karwa Chauth was celebrated to relationship, but with changing times became a fast observed by the married women for the well being and longevity of their husbands .In brief the festival of Karwa Chauth is very unique and has got great importance for the Hindu community and it is celebrated with gaiety and fervor by the married women and shows the pious and sacred bond between the husband and the wife.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist).
