Hariyali or Sindhara Teej 2024: Date, Story & Puja Rituals

Hariyali or Sindhara Teej 2024: There are certain festivals in the Hindu culture that are celebrated exclusively by women and Teej is one of those. Primarily there are 3 types of Teej- Hariyali Teej or Sindhara Teej, Kajari Teej and Hartalika Teej. In this article, we are going to discuss the Hariyali Teej which is also known as Sindhara Teej. It is a festival that celebrates the feminine divine in an unparalleled spirit of respect that this ancient culture has for women.

This festival is celebrated with incredible joy & enthusiasm in various states of India such as Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. However, Hariyali Teej is celebrated with the same festive fervour in many regions of Nepal as well.

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Hariyali Teej 2024: Date & Timings of Panchang based Tithi

Hariyali Teej occurs on the Tritiya Tithi (third date) of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phases of the Moon) in the month of Shravan as per the Hindu Lunar Calendar. It is worth noting that after 2 days from Hariyali Teej, comes the festival of Nag Panchami.

Hariyali Teej or Sindhara Teej in 2024 will be celebrated on 7th August.

Story Behind Hariyali Teej

Goddess Sati was the form of Goddess AdiShakti and married Lord Shiva. But due to some complex circumstances, She gave up Her mortal life. As a result, a grieved Lord Shiva detached Himself completely from the world and this caused the Gods to worry as the balance of the cosmos was at risk. Therefore, upon the request of the Gods Goddess AdiShakti decided to reincarnate and have Lord Shiva as Her husband again.

However, since She had to do severe austerities or tapasya to get Lord Shiva as Her husband, She took several births and continued with Her tapasya. This continued for 107 lifetimes and in Her 108th lifetime, She incarnated as the daughter of King Himalaya by the name of Parvati. Right from Her childhood, She started worshipping Lord Shiva with the desire of having Him as Her husband. Many decades passed and Her resolve as well as the intensity of Her austerities kept on growing and one day finally, Lord Shiva appeared before Her and granted the boon of accepting Her as His wife. Ever since, that day is celebrated as Hariyali Teej.

Significance of Hariyali Teej

Women take part in various puja (worship) rituals on Hariyali Teej and many observe a strict ‘Nirjala Vrat’ or a fast for the longevity, sound health and safety of their husbands, in which they do not consume even a drop of water for the entire duration of the fast that starts in the morning and ends in the evening with the worship of the Moon.

Hariyali Teej is celebrated primarily by married women to seek the blessings of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva for leading a blissful married life. But unmarried girls also take part in the puja rituals to get blessed for getting married to a loving husband and lead a happy married life.

The women enjoy the festival by singing and dancing. Since Hariyali Teej occurs during the Monsoon season when there is abundant greenery everywhere, the women wear green coloured clothes as this colour signifies fertility as well as matches with the natural greenery around.

As a part of a custom that has been around for thousands of years, women tie up a swing on a tree and sing traditional songs while having a great time swinging.

Why is Hariyali Teej called Sindhara Teej?

As a token of their well wishes for the festival, the parents of a married woman send a basket of gifts which is called “Sindhara” for their daughter and her in-laws. The Sindhara contains sweets, fruits and items of female beautification. Therefore, Hariyali Teej is also known as Sindhara Teej.

Interestingly, this festival is also popular by the names of “Shravan Teej” and “Choti Teej”.

Purpose of Hariyali Teej

The main purpose behind celebrating Hariyali Teej is to seek the blessings of the Supreme Divine in the form of Shiva & Parvati for having & enjoying a blissful marital relationship in life. Women observe the Nirjala Vrat ritual associated with this festival to ensure a long, safe and healthy life for their husbands. They also seek a family in which there is harmony, laughter, joy and prosperity!

Hariyali Teej Puja Vidhi or Process

Following are steps for women that constitute the Puja Vidhi or the process/steps involved in performing or observing the sacred rituals associated with this festival:

• Women should get up early in the morning preferably in the “Brahma Muhurta” and bathe with water that has a little bit of Holy Ganga Jal mixed in it and dress up in green clothes.
• Clean the Puja room or the place where you can worship in peace.
• Place a ‘Chowki’ after cleaning or wiping it with Ganga Jal (Holy water from the Ganges).
• Spread a neat white or red coloured cloth on the chowki.
• If possible then prepare idols of Lord Ganesh, Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva with organic clay.
• You can alternatively use idols that are made up of metals as well. Remember, it is your wholehearted devotion that ultimately counts.
• Place the idols of the deities on the chowki and light a ‘Diya’ or lamp of Ghee made of Cow’s milk.
• Worship Lord Ganesh who is the Son of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva and invoke His presence.
• Establish a copper ‘Kalash’ with water in it and tie a sacred ‘Kalava’ thread around its neck and have a coconut (with its husk) placed on top of the Kalash.
• Place a betel leaf with a Supari (betel nut) on it. 
• Begin the puja by sprinkling a little bit of Ganga Jal on the idols.
• Offer sandalwood paste and white flowers to Lord Shiva and ‘Kumkum’ and red coloured flowers to Goddess Parvati.
• Thereafter, offer items of female beautification to Goddess Parvati such as colourful bangles, Kumkum, Sindoor, Mehendi or Henna and a red coloured Chunri.
• Offer Naivedyam to the deities and include sweets and fruits as well.
• Light fragrant incense and start reciting or listening to the Hariyali Teej ‘Katha’ or story associated with this festival with a devout heart.
• Perform the aarti of all the three deities in the order of Lord Ganesh, Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva.
• Sit quietly for some time with your eyes closed and seek the blessings of all three forms of the divine that you worshipped.
• Distribute the ‘Prasad’ to the members of your family and take some Prasad for yourself to be consumed later in case you are observing a Vrat or fast.
• Spend the rest of the day enjoying the festival and sing hymns or bhajans (devotional songs).

So, this was our humble effort to make you aware of the festival of Hariyali or Sindhara Teej with respect to the story behind it, the significance of the festival and the puja rituals associated with it.

Wishing you a Very Happy, Joyful & Prosperous Hariyali Teej 2024!