What is Hartālikā Tīja, and must it really be kept without water?

it celebrates Pārvatī’s resolve to marry Śiva; it is traditionally nirjalā with a night vigil, but health always comes first.

Hartālikā Tīja falls on Bhādrapada śukla tṛtīyā. The name is explained as harita (taken away) + ālikā (by her friends): tradition says Pārvatī’s friends carried her to the forest so she would not be married to Viṣṇu, and there she worshipped a sand liṅga and fasted until Śiva accepted her. Women in UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra (as Haritālikā) and Nepal keep it for a happy marriage; unmarried girls keep it for a good husband.

The classic form is strict: no food or water from sunrise until the next morning, clay or sand images of Śiva-Pārvatī, evening pūjā with the kathā, and a night of bhajans. Pāraṇa is done the next morning after the visarjana.

Many women now take water or fruit, especially if pregnant, elderly, diabetic or working. That is a complete Tīja; the saṅkalpa and devotion are its heart.

Bhādrapada śukla tṛtīyā · Source: Hartālikā vrata-kathā (Bhaviṣya Purāṇa tradition)

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