Gudi Padwa Facts

Facts of Gudi Padwa

Gudi Padwa Trivia
1. A number of stories are associated with the festival, prominent among them being the theory of creation and also the day when Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after defeating King Ravana in Lanka.

The year begins on the first day of Chaitra of the Hindu calendar named as Shalivahan.

It is named so after King Shalivahan from Paithan in Maharashtra.


2. Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and devotion between the wife and husband. On this day newly married daughters with their husbands are invited for special meals and resents.


3. Unlike other festivals, Gudi Padwa, is a very family-oriented affair, but one can also take part in the yatra organised the previous day, where families bring diyas and float them on the lake.The whole lake is lit up with floating diyas which looks really beautiful.

4. The word padwa is derived from the Sanskrit word pradurbhu that is the first day of the year. The festival signifies the beginning of the summer season. During this period night and day are equally divided into 12 hours. There are a lot of historical myths surrounding this festival, it seems Emperor Shalivahaan of the south defeated a king from the north for the first time. The gudi' also symbolises the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana marking the triumph of good over evil.

The various names of new year
Characteristic of the Indian cultural mélange, Hindus in various states of India celebrate the new year in their own ways. And not all of these fall on the same day! The people of Kerala in the south of India celebrate their new year & Vishu in mid April. Andhra Pradesh, in the southeastern part of India begins its new year Ugadi in the second week of April. During the same time, the Bengalis welcome the new year with the Poila Baishakh celebrations, the Maharashtrians with Gudi Padwa, and the Assamese in the northeast with the Bihu festivals.The Hindus in Punjab get involved with Baisakhi, the springtime festival marking the beginning of a new year. By this time, the Hindus of Nepal and Kashmir, however, have already began the new year: The Nepalese new year Nava Varsha falls in the third week of March, and the Kashmiri Lunar year Navreh starts in the second week of March.