Legend Associated With Teej Mata: The Goddess Of Teej

Teej is a festival that is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and her spouse Lord Shiva. The festival is symbolic of the love they share and marks the day of their union. In the year 2017, Hariyali Teej will be celebrated on the 26th of July, as per the Gregorian calendar.

According to the lunar-solar calendar that the Hindus follow, it is celebrated on the third day of the bright fortnight in the month of Savan or on the Tritiya of the Shukla Paksha.

Goddess Parvati is worshipped and she is known as Teej mata to the people who celebrate the festival of Teej. Both unmarried and married women keep fasts and perform poojas to please the Goddess Parvati.

It is believed that the unmarried girls who observe the fast obtain a husband of their dreams. Married women are blessed with long and healthy lives for their husbands. It is said that any woman who performs the pooja is given the blessing to spend all her life with her husband and when she dies, she will attain moksha.

The Legend Of Teej Mata & Hariyali Teej

The legend has it that when Goddess Sati passed away, Lord Shiva went into a rampage out of anger. When he was finally calmed down, he settled into a deep and intense meditation.

Meanwhile, Goddess Sati took birth again and performed a hard penance. This way, she took 108 births, in which she performed a rigorous penance. It was only in the last and final birth as Parvata Raj's daughter, Parvati, that she reunited with her consort. It was on the auspicious day of Teej that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati got married.

Details About The Teej Mata Procession On The Occasion Of Teej

• On the last day of the three-day celebration of Teej, Teej mata's idol is brought out from the pat. Pat is the sacred place where Teej mata's idol is placed. The idol is cleaned and painted with fresh colours and paint. The idol of Teej Mata is then decorated with jewellery made out of gold and other precious stones. Clothes of bright and shiny colours are then offered to the Goddess.

• Pandits, poojaris or saints perform the pooja for the idol of Teej Mata. Milk, fruits, nookti, ghewar, chappati and water are offered to the idol of Teej Mata during the worship. Holy mantras and shlokas are chanted to please the Goddess Teej Mata.

• The idol of Teej Mata is then placed in a palki, which is covered with a flower canopy or an umbrella. The palki is called the 'Teej Mata Palki' or 'Takth-e Rawan'. The palki is carried by men dressed in red and the number of men needs to be eight.

• The palki is taken out on to the streets, so that everyone can gaze upon Teej Mata and earn her blessings. This is seen especially in the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan. It is said that whoever prays to Teej Mata during the procession gets their wishes fulfilled.

• The procession of the Teej Mata Palki often contains band-baaja. The procession also consists of a number of elephants and horses that are well adorned and decorated. People dance and sing as the procession passes through the streets. Carts drawn by camels and bulls are also seen in the procession. Prasad is distributed to the devotees who attend the procession.

• As the procession passes through the crowd, the devotees offer gold, silver and other precious items of jewellery to the Teej Mata. It is said that by the time the procession ends, the idol becomes covered with precious jewellery.