Celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar, the festival of Gudi Padwa spells the welcome of the Marathi New Year. This auspicious festival sees the entire city of Maharashtra engulfed in a blanket of joy and rejoice; dancing, eating and celebrating together. Besides Maharashtra, the festival is celebrated by the name Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Yugadi in Karnataka.

History of Gudi Padwa

There are many stories behind the reason for the celebration of this festival. According to Hindu Mythology, Lord Brahma started the process of creating the universe on this very day. Other theories state that the festival honours Shivaji Maharaja, the great veteran Maratha leader whose kingdom was spread across the entire part of western India.

What is the Significance of Gudi Padwa?

On the day of the festival, people get up in the morning, take a holy bath and dress up in their newly stitched clothes. This is basically seen as a way to cleanse one’s body and soul and prepare themselves for a new beginning, a new dawn. According to traditional dictation, Maharashtrian men are dressed in simple kurta pyjama with a saffron or red turban to complete their look, while the
women are required to wear a nauvari, a nine-yard saree.

After this, the women of the house decorate the front of the house with colourful patterns called rangoli. These colourful patterns made of vermillion, turmeric, powdered rice and Holi colours are seen as a sign of bringing in good luck into the house and warding off all the negative energies.

Finally, when the whole house has been cleaned and decorated with flowers and rangolis, the gudi is made. A gudi is basically a brand new kalash of silver, copper or bronze material, covered in auspicious red, yellow or saffron colour cloth. This Gudi is then hoisted upside down at the entrance of the house in a way that it is easily visible even from far. Some people also decorate the gudi with neem leaves, flower garlands, mango tree twigs, and sugar sweet garlands. The making of gudi is a very significant part of the festival as it is seen as a sign of prosperity and good things that are to follow.

The day also sees people treating themselves and their guests to local Maharashtrian delicacies like puran poli, shrikhand puri and chana ussal etc.

In addition to the celebration and food, the festival of Gudi Padwa is also seen as a very auspicious occasion to begin new things, buy new clothes, ornaments, utensils and also book new flats.

Since the period spells the beginning of prosperity, more and more people prefer booking their flats during this festive period. According to industry experts, the festival has always been one of the favourites of the Real Estate sector and this year they expect to sell properties worth Rs. 100 Crore during