Devi · Parvati (Gauri), Shiva
Hartalika Teej
A day-long fast in remembrance of Parvati's penance to win Shiva as her husband.
Also known as: Hartalika Vrat, Gauri Habba (Karnataka)
Date and muhurat
✓ 28.6519°N, 77.2315°E · Asia/Kolkata
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When is it observed?
On the third day (Tritiya) of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada, one day before Ganesh Chaturthi. Puja is done in the morning or the evening, when Tritiya is present, and the vrat is often kept through the night.
About Hartalika Teej
Hartalika Teej is the strictest of the three Teej festivals and is widely observed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Nepal, and in Karnataka a closely related Gauri worship, Gauri Habba, falls on the same tithi. Women traditionally fast for the whole day, and many take neither food nor water until the next morning.
Clay or sand images of Shiva, Parvati and her friend are made and worshipped, usually in the evening. The night is spent awake with devotional songs, readings and group prayer, and the fast ends the following morning after a final aarti and the immersion of the images.
Significance
The vrat honours Parvati's single-minded devotion and is kept, according to tradition, for the well-being and long life of the husband. Unmarried girls observe it hoping for a suitable partner, taking Parvati as the ideal of steadiness and resolve.
The name itself carries the story: harat means carrying away (abduction) and alika means a female friend. The festival therefore also honours the loyalty of friendship, and in many communities it is a day when women meet, dress in their finest, and share the long night together.
Hartalika vrat and puja
- 1In the morning bathe, put on fresh clothes, and take the sankalp for the fast. Dress in new or traditional attire, often green or red, and decorate the place of worship with banana plantain leaves and flowers.
- 2At the pradosh or puja time, make small images of Shiva and Parvati (many also add Ganesha or a sakhi) from clean clay or sand, and place them on a decorated seat.
- 3Light a lamp and invoke Ganesha first, then worship Shiva and Parvati with water, bilva leaves, dhatura, flowers, incense and fruit.
- 4Offer Parvati the sixteen adornment items (solah shringar), such as sindoor, bangles and a new cloth, which are later given to a married woman or a priest's wife.
- 5Read or listen to the Hartalika Teej katha with attention, then perform the aarti.
- 6Keep awake through the night with bhajans, songs and prayer, and repeat the puja at intervals if your family follows that custom.
- 7On the next morning, do the final aarti, immerse the images in water, and break the fast with simple food after seeking the elders' blessings.
The story
In the traditional account, the sage Narada brought King Himavan a proposal to marry his daughter Parvati to Vishnu. Parvati, who had already given her heart to Shiva, was distressed. Her friend understood her feelings and took her deep into the forest, so that her father could not arrange the marriage.
There, Parvati made a Shivalinga of sand on the third day of the bright half of Bhadrapada and worshipped it through the night with fasting. Pleased by her devotion, Shiva appeared and accepted her as his wife. Because her friend had carried her away, the vrat is called Hartalika.
What to do
- ✓Make the images from clean clay or sand and immerse them respectfully afterwards.
- ✓Keep the night awake with bhajans and the katha.
- ✓Offer the adornment articles to a married woman with respect.
- ✓Choose a fast that suits your health, with water or fruit if needed.
- ✓Seek elders' blessings before breaking the fast.
What to avoid
- ✕Do not sleep through the night if you are keeping the traditional jagran.
- ✕Do not insist on a waterless fast if you are unwell, pregnant or elderly.
- ✕Avoid negative talk, arguments and anger.
- ✕Do not leave the images lying in an unclean place after the puja.
- ✕Do not break the fast before the morning puja is complete.
Around the country
- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand: women gather in the evening for group puja and a night of songs, with the fast broken the next morning.
- Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh: images are decorated with elaborate shringar and the festival is joined with Teej gatherings.
- Karnataka: Gauri Habba, a related festival in which women worship a Gauri idol and give bagina, a gift of auspicious items, to married women. It is a Gauri worship of its own, not an identical vrat.
- Nepal: women dress in red and sing and dance at Pashupatinath and other Shiva temples, and the festival is a multi-day affair that begins with a feast the day before the fast.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Hartalika Teej considered the strictest Teej?
Because the traditional rule is a full fast without food or water, together with staying awake through the night, in remembrance of Parvati's austere penance. Many families adapt this to health and age.
Why is it on the day before Ganesh Chaturthi?
Both fall in the bright half of Bhadrapada: Tritiya for Parvati's vrat and Chaturthi for the birth of her son Ganesha. Many see them as a continuous celebration of the divine family.
Can unmarried women and men observe the vrat?
Unmarried girls commonly observe it. Traditions about men differ; in some communities they take part in the worship without keeping the full fast.