Hartalika 2026

Quick facts

• Also known asHaritalika, Hartalika Teej
• WhereMaharashtra; as Hartalika Teej in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Nepal
• Puja forShiva and Parvati, with Parvati's friend
• In one lineParvati's penance remembered: the fast she kept to have Shiva as her husband.

Hartalika, in a little more detail

1. 01

   About the festival

   The story is in the name: harit means "taken away" and alika means "a woman friend". A friend took Parvati away from home, so: Hartalika.

   Parvati kept a hard penance for Shiva, and at last he was pleased. Today women walk the same path: a strict fast all day, and a puja for Shiva and Parvati.

   The lesson in it: stand by what your heart has decided, with patience and faith. That's what Parvati did.

2. 02

   Parvati and her friend

   Parvati had only Shiva in her heart. But her father, Himalaya, set out to marry her to Vishnu.

   Parvati wouldn't have it. Her friend took her away from home, far off into a forest, where no one could find her.

   There Parvati worshipped a Shiva linga and kept a hard penance. Her penance pleased Shiva, and he accepted her as his wife.

3. 03

   In Maharashtra and beyond

   At home a Shiva linga is shaped from sand, or images of Shiva, Parvati and her friend are brought in. Then the sixteen-step puja, the ornaments of a married woman, naivedya, aarti and the katha.

   In Maharashtra married women, widows and girls all keep it. At night there is a vigil: games, songs and worship of the goddess.

   The next day the fast is broken by licking a little ghee from a rui leaf.

   In Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Nepal it's Hartalika Teej, and many married women keep it for their husbands without even water.

How to do the puja

In short: A sankalp, a linga of sand, the sixteen-step puja, a night awake, and the fast broken next morning with a rui leaf.

1. 1Bathe in the morning, take the sankalp, and begin the fast.Many women keep it without even water, many take water or fruit. Do only what your health allows.
2. 2Shape a Shiva linga from clean sand, or set out images of Shiva, Parvati and her friend.Images are sold in the market. Use river sand or any clean sand.
3. 3Worship with the sixteen steps: water, sandalwood, haldi-kunku, akshata, flowers and leaves.Many homes offer leaves of several trees, bel among them.
4. 4Offer Parvati the ornaments of a married woman: green bangles, kunku, a comb, a mirror.What you have at home is enough: nothing needs to be bought new.
5. 5Offer naivedya, do the aarti, and read or hear the Hartalika katha.The katha is the story of Parvati and her friend, told above.
6. 6Keep awake at night with your friends: songs, games and the goddess's names.If sleep wins, stay up for a while at least.
7. 7Next morning, do the uttarpuja, and break the fast by licking a little ghee from a rui leaf.In many homes the sand linga then goes into water.

What you needTick as you go

• Clean sand, or images of Shiva, Parvati and her friend
• A patta and a clean cloth
• Sandalwood paste, haldi, kunku and akshata
• Flowers, and leaves with bel among them
• The ornaments: green bangles, kunku, a comb, a mirror
• A diya, ghee and incense
• Naivedya and fruit
• The Hartalika katha book
• A rui leaf and ghee for the morning
• An aarti plate

Frequently asked questions