Indore: After Somvar vrat, devotees, especially women, kept a vrat dedicated to Goddess Gauri (Parvati) known as Mangala Gauri vrat. Among those who kept the five-day fast was 3-year-old Sharvi Patel, whose fast ended on Tuesday.
This five-day-long fast and rituals, as informed by the girls and mothers of Gujarati community, are primarily performed by unmarried girls as young as three years of age, with the intention of pleasing Shiva and getting a good life partner.
As shared by Pandit Ravi Sharma, according to Shiva Purana, Parvati had fasted or kept this vrat for five days to appease Lord Shiva. Each girl during this celebration was seen with an earthen pot called jaavar, where they sow seven types of seeds, mainly cereals and lentils.
“It is actually a ritual of the agrarian community, which is performed during monsoon. Somewhere it is linked with the idea of farmers pleasing the gods for a good harvest,” said researcher Dr Ajit Upadhyaya said.
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