Throughout the year, Hindus celebrate the Divine during festivals dedicated to a particular God or Goddess. These celebrations can last from up to several days and involve many forms of worship. The activities often center on ephemeral images of the honored deity, placed in elaborate temples or household shrines that are crafted each year and then dismantled at the end of the festival.
As part of a festival's ritual, materials used to create temporary buildings are recycled at the close of the celebration. Women decorate streets and courtyards with hand-painted sacred designs that may be trampled and smeared by crowds of worshippers or worn away by the elements. In many parts of India, sacred images are biodegradable; artists leave clay sculptures unfired so the material dissolves in water and returns to the earth when the puja ends. In contrast, sculptures cast in bronze, silver and gold are stored in special shrines until the festival begins again the next year.
Images of Gauri
Gauri, the Goddess of Agricultural Prosperity, is honored with particular reverence in West India. Her Divine energy influences the planting and harvesting of crops as well as success in marriage. Throughout the year, worshippers appeal to Gauri, a form of Parvati, but women pay her special homage during the Gangaur festival celebrated in the month of Chaitra (March-April). They ask the Goddess for abundant crops and for the health and welfare of their male family members.
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