Panchananda Mandir with Gajan Devotees and Spectators - Narna - Howrah 2014-04-14 0296-0298

Gajan or Shivagajan is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

festival celebrated mostly in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

. It is associated with such deities as

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, Neel and Dharmaraj. Gajan spans around a week, starting at the last week of

Choitro Choitro ( bn, চৈত্র) is the last month of the Bengali calendar. It falls from mid-March to mid-April and is the last month of Spring ( bn, বসন্ত ''Bôsôntô''). The name of the month is derived from the star Chitra ( ''Chitra' ...

continuing till the end of the Bengali year. It ends with

Charak Puja Charak Puja or Charak Mela (also known as ''Cadak'', ''Chadak'', ''Nil Puja'' and ''Hajrha Puja'') is a Hindu folk festival held in honor of the deity Shiva. The festival is observed in the India, in the state of West Bengal, and in Bangladesh ...

. Participants of this festival is known as

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...

or Bhokto. Persons of any gender can be a participant. The complete history of the festival is not known. The central theme of this festival is deriving satisfaction through non-sexual pain, devotion and sacrifice.

Etymology

The word ''gajan'' in Bengali comes from the word ''garjan'' or roar that

s (hermits) emit during the festivities.Mitra, Dr. Amalendu, ''Rarher Sanskriti O Dharmathakur'', First published 1972, 2001 edition, pp. 165-169, Subarnarekha, 73 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata Alternatively, the word ''gajan'' is considered a combination of parts of two words - ''ga'' is from the word ''gram'' meaning village and ''jan'' is from the word ''janasadharan'' meaning folk. In this sense gajan is a festival of village folk.Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, p. 67, Prakash Bhaban

Significance

In Shiva’s gajan Shiva is married to Harakali on this day. The sannyasis form the ''barjatri'' (bridegroom’s party). In Dharma’s gajan Dharmathakur is married to Kamini-Kamakhya in Bankura Dist.or Mukti. The most recent studies on the gajan festival are: 1) Nicholas, R. ''Rites of Spring. Gājan in Village Bengal''. New Delhi: Chronicle Books, 2008; and 2) Ferrari, F.M. ''Guilty Males and Proud Females. Negotiating Genders in a Bengali Festival''. Calcutta and London: Seagull, 2010.

Fairs

Fairs are often associated with the celebration of gajan.

Etymology

Significance

Fairs

References

Further reading