Gowri Habba is the festival ascribed to Sri Gowri Devi, the mother of Bhagwan Ganesha. The festival is celebrated a day prior to Sri Vinayaka Chathurthi. The festival is widely celebrated in Karnataka State.
Gowri Habba occurs on the Shukla Paksha Trithiya Tithi of Bhadra Padha month. It occurs on Friday, 6th September 2024. The exact duration of the Trithiya Tithi has to be ascertained from the respective regional calendars.
Rituals
It is believed that Sri Gowri Devi visits Her parents’ home a prior to Sri Ganesh Chathurthi. Married women who could not visit their parents’ home get the set of Mangala Dravya which consists of all materials required for doing Gowri Habba Puja.
The idol / picture of Sri Gowri is kept at the Puja place. The women raise early in the morning and prepare for the Puja. Sri Gowri is placed inside a mandap. The mandap is decorated with flowers and mango leaves.
Chandan, Kumkum and turmeric are applied on Sri Gowri. She is kept on a plate filled with rice. Sri Gowri is decorated with flowers and cotton vastra. The thread named Gowri Daara is kept at the Puja. The Gowri Daara is the sixteen knotted cotton thread smeared with turmeric and Kumkum. The un-knotted threads are kept for unmarried girls and women.
Puja is done to Sri Gowri Devi as per the respective family tradition. Puja is also done to the Gowri Daara. After Puja, the knotted thread is tied around the wrists of the married women and the unknotted thread is tied to the wrists of unmarried girls and women.
The Neivedyam of traditional food such as Bele Huilge, Kaye Hulige, Huggi, Chithranna and Bajji is offered to Sri Gowri Devi. Slokams / Stotrams in prayer to Sri Gowri Devi are recited.
The custom of giving Baagina, i.e Thambulam is followed. It is kept on a bamboo winnow and it contains small packets of turmeric, Kumkum, black bangles, black beads, a small comb, a small mirror, coconut, blouse piece, dhaniya (cereal), rice, thur daal, green daal, wheat, rava and cube cut jaggery. A set of Baagina is kept near Sri Gowri Deva. The other sets are given out as gifts to the married women in the neighborhood. Even the unmarried girls and women are gifted with ear rings, necklaces etc., on this day.
It is believed that observation of this festival brings in prosperity.
Slokams
There are innumerable Slokams / Stotrams for the invocation of and prayer to Sri Parvathi Devi. A few of them are provided in the link.
