Garia Puja Festival in Tripura Date in the current year: April 21, 2024

The Garia Puja festival is dedicated to Baba Garia (Lord Garia), the deity of wealth, livestock and household. Some think that Garia is the Tripuri form of Ganesha, one of the most worshiped Hindu deities. The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is revered by all Hindu denominations as the bringer of good luck, remover of obstacles, and the patron of wisdom, intellect, arts and sciences.

Garja Puja is the biggest and most important festival of Tripura. Although it originated as a tribal festival observed by some local tribes, it has since grown to be celebrated statewide by all residents of Tripura regardless of their background. The festival begins on the last day of the month of Chiatra and culminates on the seventh day of the month of Vaisakha. The last day of the festival is a public holiday in the state of Tripura.

The main goal of the celebration is to worship Lord Garia so that he brings harmony, peace and wealth to all households in Tripura. The key attribute of the Garia Puja festivities is a bamboo pole decorated with flowers and garlands to worship the deity. To appease Lord Garia, people bring eggs and fowl, which symbolize fertility and prosperity, to the pole and leave them there as a sacrifice. Dozens of people stand in line in front of the pole, waiting for their turn to worship Garia and offer him a sacrifice.

The sacrifice also includes the first harvest of the year. A tribal priest predicts the coming year by observing the sacrifice. After the ritual, tribal and Hindu priests pray to Garia side by side, asking him for better crops, well-being and prosperity, to promote harmony between tribal and non-tribal residents of Tripura.

During Garia Puja, young people participate in the traditional dance, where they sing, dance, and play drums as their contribution to the festivities. It is also customary to organize small fairs during the festival, where farmers sell chicken, eggs, rice, rice beer, wine, earthen pots, cotton thread, and other local goods. And, of course, there is no festival without a feast. To celebrate Garia Puja, devotees cook a big feast at home and invite their relatives and friends to join them.

Garia Puja is celebrated throughout the state, but the biggest celebrations are held in a number of cities that host carnivals to showcase the vivid culture of Tripura through cultural performances, exhibitions, traditional food, and special rituals at local temples. The cities that are best known for their carnivals and festivities include the state capital of Agartala, Dharmanagar, and Matabari.

There’s also a special celebration of the Garia Puja festival held in the Indian capital of Delhi for Tripurans who live there (and, of course, for anyone who wants to join). It is organized by the state government of Tripura to showcase the state’s cultural heritage, including traditional art, dance, music, crafts and cuisine.