Karwa Chauth, also called Karak Chaturthi, holds significance for Hindus, especially in the northern parts of India. News18 Hindi (Representational Image)
Which Indian has not heard of Karwa Chauth? It is the festival that movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham have popularised among the masses.
Karwa Chauth, also called Karak Chaturthi, holds significance for Hindus, especially in the northern parts of India. This year, the festival will be celebrated on Thursday (13 October).
Chaturthi Tithi will begin at 1:59 am on 13 October and end at 3:08 am on 14 October, as per Indian Express. On Thursday, the shubh muhurat will start at 5:54 pm and last till 7:08 pm.
Observed by married Hindu women for their husbands’ long and prosperous life, the festival falls on Krishna Paksha Chaturthi in the Hindu month of Kartik.
These women keep a day-long fast which begins at sunrise and ends with the sighting of the moon in the evening. During this fast, women do not even drink water nor do they eat anything- a nirjala vrat.
In India, the festival is predominantly observed in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and several parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Karwa Chauth falls alongside Sankashti Chaturthi- a day of fasting observed for Lord Ganesha, says Drik Panchang citing the Purnimanta calendar followed in north India. Karwa Devi, Goddess Parvati, Goddess Chauth, Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya are worshipped on this day, as per Drik Panchang.
Even though most of us know the idea behind Karwa Chauth, do you know the legends associated with the festival? What are the rituals involved in the festival? Let’s find out.
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Karwa Chauth legends
There are many folklores related to why Karwa Chauth is observed by Hindu women.
The stories revolving around the epic Mahabharata, a woman named Karwa and Queen Veervati shed some light on the significance of the Hindu festival.
Hindu women keep a day-long fast on Karwa Chauth for the well-being of their husbands. News18 (Representational Image)
Mahabharata tale
The legend goes back to the Mahabharata era when Draupadi had apparently observed a fast for the long life of her husbands.
When Arjuna went to the Nilgiris for penance leaving the rest of the Pandavas, his wife Draupadi, who was worried about him, prayed to Lord Krishna. The Lord told her how Goddess Parvati, under similar circumstances earlier, had kept a fast for Lord Shiva.
He advised her to fast for Arjuna’s well-being, which Draupadi did following all rituals and soon Arjuna came back home safely, as per Times of India.
Queen Veervati’s fast
The most popular story around Karwa Chauth involves Queen Veervati and her brothers.
She was the only sister among seven doting brothers. The queen was at her father’s home during her first Karwa Chauth as a married woman.
Veervati, who had been fasting since sunrise, could no longer bear the thirst and hunger as the evening approached, as per Hindustan Times.
She fainted, after which her brothers urged her to break the fast. However, Veervati did not budge and continued to wait for the moon to appear.
After this, her brothers placed a round mirror in a pipal tree to trick her into believing that the moon has risen. Veervati, who fell for her brothers’ ruse, broke her fast, and soon after, she received the news that her husband was dead.
Goddess Indrani, the wife of Lord Indra, came to console the queen and asked her to observe fast every month of the year to resurrect her husband.
Veervati was eventually successful and her husband came back to life.
Karwa and Lord Yama
There was once a woman named Karwa whose husband was caught under the grip of a crocodile when he was bathing in a river.
To save her husband, Karwa chained the crocodile with cotton yarn and pleaded with Lord Yama, the god of death, to send the animal to hell.
After Yama did not heed her prayers, she threatened him with a curse. An afraid Yama finally granted her wish and blessed her husband with a long life, according to Times of India.
Why the name Karwa Chauth?
‘Karwa’ refers to earthen pots with a spout and ‘chauth’ means the fourth day.
Women apply mehendi (henna) on their hands alta (a red dye) on their feet for Karwa Chauth. PTI File Photo
As per Indian Express, women buy new earthen pots before the festival, which they adorn with beautiful designs, and put sweets, bangles and make-up products inside them.
On the day of the Karwa Chauth, they visit other women and exchange the karwas or earthen pots.
Karwa Chauth: Significance and rituals
Besides keeping the nirjala fast on Karwa Chauth, women offer prayers to Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Karwa Mata for their husbands’ long lives.
A few days before the festival, women apply mehendi (henna) on their hands alta (a red dye) on their feet. They dress like new brides on the day of Karwa Chauth and mostly wear ethnic clothes in red or yellow hues.
For the puja in the evening, women generally get together to read the Karwa Chauth story.
After the puja, women wait for the moon, which they look at through a channi (sieve). They also pray to the moon using a pooja thali which consists of a diya (made of wheat flour), sweets and a glass of water.
After the rituals, the husbands make their wives drink water from the glass and feed them sweets, breaking their day-long fast.
With inputs from agencies
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