Guga Navami 2022 Date, Significance, Story, Puja Mahurat And How to Celebrate

Goga Navami 2022: August is the month of festivals. Apart from the major ones like Raksha Bandhan and Shri Krishna Janmashtami, another festival that is widely celebrated in northern India is the ‘Goga Navami’ or ‘Guga Naumi.’ It is the festival to worship Lord Guga or the Snake God.

Guga Navami date: When is Goga Navami celebrated?

Goga Navami or Guga Naumi is celebrated on the ninth day of Krishna Paksha in the Bhadrapad month as per the Hindu calendar. Krishna Paksha means the dark fortnight of the moon. It usually falls in August-September. This year, Goga Navami is being celebrated on August 20, the next day after Janmashtami – on Saturday.

How and where is Guga Navami celebrated?

Gogaji, as he is popularly called, is also known as ‘Jahar Veer Gogga.’ He is considered a folk deity by many families in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab. In Rajasthan especially, huge Pandals are constructed and fairs are organised for the devotees to celebrate Gogaji.

Guga Navami Rituals And Puja Vidhi:

As per the legends, Gogaji is seen sitting on a blue horse, holding a yellow flag in one hand, and a blue in another. He is seen as dressed like a king with a sword and a royal turban on his head. The celebrations of Goga Navami begin on the day of Raksha Bandhan – Shravan Purnima – and it goes on for the next nine days. On the day of Navami, the devotees narrate the Gogaji Katha and start the Puja ceremony.

On Goga Navami, rice and chapati are considered the divine prasad by the devotees. In some families, many devotees also tie a Rakhi to the idol of Lord Goga. The biggest Goga Navami celebration takes place in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district where a Guga Navami Mela is organised and the entire town participates in the festivities.

Guga Navami Puja timings and Mahurat:

Goga Navami will begin on August 19 at 10:59 pm and will end on August 21 (Sunday) at 1:09 am. The devotees can organise Puja, Kirtan and Bhajan gatherings as per the schedule.

Guga Navami 2022: History and significance:

It is believed that lord Goga was a beautiful Rajput prince who had supernatural powers to control venomous snakes. While there are different versions of the story that are narrated by the devotees, the fact that he was different from regular human beings and possessed divine powers remains the same in all of those stories. It is believed that he could cure a snake bite with his healing powers and had disappeared from Earth in a divine way when he thought his purpose in this world was completed.

How do you celebrate this festival? Did you know about such celebrations before?