Karwa Chauth Puja is a Hindu celebration done by married women 9 days before Diwali. The women fast all day long to pray for a long life for their husbands. It is celebrated on the 4th day after Purnima in the Kartik month of the Hindu Gregorian calendar (fourth day of the waning moon or the dark fortnight).

Although Karwa Chauth is celebrated across the country, it is especially prevalent among women in the northern states including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. This festival celebrates the special bond of love between couples.

On this day, the women do a fast from sunrise to moonrise without food or water, after which they break their fast by looking at the moon and drinking water. Women put henna on the day before. The day of the Karwa Chauth fast begins with Sargi (pre- dawn meal). Sargi refers to the full feast meal prepared and eaten before sunrise before beginning the fast.

It is given to married women by their mothers-in-law. Sargi usually includes an earthen pot called Karwa, filled with sweets, dry fruits and feni. It also includes clothes like sari or lehenga and jewelry. Women who are observing the fast wake up early before sunrise to get ready, prepare and have their Sargi. This is the only time they can have food or water because after the sun rises, they won’t be allowed to have even water the whole day.

In the evening, women dress themselves up beautifully in traditional clothes and jewelry. They gather and listen to the Karwa Chauth Katha, and offer sindoor, fruits, flowers, and sweets to Goddess Parvati and light diya and dhoop. They perform the Karwa Chauth Puja.

After that, they take a glimpse at the moon through the Channi (sieve) and look at their husband’s faces through it at night, praying for longevity and happiness for their husbands. Then, they break their fast with their husbands feeding them water and Mithai (sweets).

While there are a few legends surrounding the Karwa Chauth Puja, the most prominent one is of Queen Veervati.

Once there was an extremely beautiful princess Veervati, who was the sole sister among 7 brothers who loved to shower her with their care and attention. She was married to a king and she returned home as a married woman for her first Karwa Chauth. She began a strict fast after sunrise but as evening arrived, she was suffering from extreme thirst and hunger.

The 7 brothers were unable to see their beloved sister in such distress and devised a plan to put her out of her misery. They created a mirror in a Peepal tree that made it look like the moon had risen. Seeing it, the queen Veervati mistook it for a moon and broke her fast. The moment she took the first morsel of food, she sneezed. In the second morsel she took, she found hair. After the third morsel, she heard the news that her husband, the king, is dead.

Heartbroken, she wept all throughout the night until her Shakti (inner strength) compelled Goddess Parvati to appear and ask the reason why she was crying. The queen explained her distress, and Parvati explained how she had been tricked by her brothers and told her to complete the Karwa Chauth fast with entire devotion. The queen did so and God Yam was forced to restore her husband to life.

Get your online puja booking at Online temple. We provide all online puja services including Karwa Chauth Puja.

Related Puja's