Vasant Panchami: Significance of Worshipping Goddess Saraswati

Vasant Panchami, a Hindu festival marks the preparations for the beginning of the spring season. The festival dedicated to Goddess Saraswati is celebrated in various parts of the country in different ways. The day is celebrated forty days before the Holika and Holi. In 2025 the Vasant Panchami will be celebrated on 2nd February.

Let’s learn more about the festival, timings, significance, rituals. and how different regions of the country celebrate the festival.

Date and Timings of Vasant Panchami 2025

Vasant Panchami is celebrated forty days before the spring as the season’s transition period is 40 days. According to the Hindu lunar calendar the Vasant Panchami occurs on the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha in Magha month (January/ February). This year the festival will be celebrated on Sunday, 2nd February, 2025.

The duration of Vasant Panchami is 5 hours 26 minutes which will start at 07:09 AM till 12:35 PM. Panchami Tithi begins at 09:14 AM on 2nd February and ends at 06:52 AM on 3rd February.

Significance of Vasant Panchami

Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, art, music, science and technology is worshipped on Vasant Panchami. The deity symbolises creative energy and power in all its forms. Moreover, the agricultural cycle plays a significant role during the Vasant Panchami. During the Magha month, the fields are filled with yellow mustard flowers which are associated with the favourite colour of the Goddess Saraswati. For a similar reason, people dress in yellow-coloured sarees, shirts and accessories, and prepare yellow-coloured snacks and sweets. The most common food item prepared during the festival is yellow-coloured rice.

The festival of Vasant Panchami is also known as “Haate-Khori”, “Vidya-Arambha” or “Khadi-Chaun”. Parents encourage their children of four to five years of age to start learning or writing their first words on this day. The Goddess Saraswati temples are decorated the previous day and people come together on Vasant Panchami for a feast to mark the celebrations. The educational institutions also celebrate the festival by dressing up the Goddess Saraswati idol in yellow-coloured clothes and reciting poetic and musical performances to seek the blessings of the Goddess.

A legend related to Vasant Panchami is based on the Hindu god of love Kamadeva (also known as Madana), who was reborn as Krishna’s and Rukmani’s son Pradyumna (this is why Vasant Panchami is also known as “Madana Panchami”). Kamadeva is known to awaken carnal desires among humans. It is believed that once on this day, the Seers (Rishis) approached Kama to wake up Shiva from his Yogic meditation. These seers were supporting Parvati who was doing a penance at that time to get Shiva as her husband. They wanted Kama’s help to bring Shiva back from his meditation to worldly desires. Kama agreed and shot arrows made of flowers and bees at Shiva from his heavenly bow of sugarcane, in order to arouse him and to pay attention to Parvati. Lord Shiva awakened from his meditation and opened his third eye, a fireball was then directed towards Kama. Kama, the Lord of desires was burnt to ashes. To remember his deed pf Kamadeva, Hindus celebrate this day as Madana Panchami.

How Different Parts of India Celebrate Vasant Panchami?

• Eastern India: In Eastern states like West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Bihar, people visit Saraswati temples or worship Goddess Saraswati at home by performing Saraswati Puja. In West Bengal, it’s one of the major festivals for Bengali Hindus and is observed by many households and educational institutions. The educational institutions arrange Saraswati Puja for the students on their premises. The Goddess is worshipped with Bengal quince leaves, marigolds, Palash and Guldaudi flowers and Sandal paste. Similar to Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja is also celebrated as a community festival where people come together, build Pandals in their localities and install the idol of Goddess Saraswati. To follow the tradition, devotees play music on the gramophone to appease and get the blessings of the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge. In Odisha, the festival is celebrated as Basanta Panchami/Sri Panchami /Saraswati Puja. Schools and colleges across the state organise Homs and Yagnas also known as fire rituals. 

• Central India: In Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, people worship Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati during this day, and offer mango flowers to the deities. To celebrate the day, devotees dress in yellow and white coloured clothes, sing, dance, play musical instruments, decorate their homes with yellow flowers and eat sweet dishes. Moreover, the day marks the establishment of the Deo-Sun Temple in Aurangabad. The statues are washed and the old red clothes on them are replaced with the new ones on Basant Panchami. By staying at one of the hotels in Aurangabad, you can visit this temple and enjoy its festivities.

• South India: The festival is celebrated in some of the southern states such as Andhra Pradesh as Sri Panchami where “Sri” refers to Goddess Saraswati. The celebrations are organised in the schools and colleges and students dressed in vibrant colours bring traditional cakes as offerings to the Goddess.

• Western India: In Gujarat, Vasant Panchami is associated with the emotions of love and emotional anticipation. People in the state worship Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha on this day by singing songs about Krishna’s pranks with Radha, considered to mirror Kama-Rati. People also prepare bouquets and garlands of flowers set with mango leaves, as a gift and dress in saffron, pink or yellow and visit each other’s homes. In Rajasthan, it is customary for people to wear jasmine garlands. In Maharashtra, newly married couples wear yellow dresses, visit a temple and offer prayers on the first Basant Panchami after the wedding.

• Northern India: In north India, the festival is celebrated to mark the beginning of the spring season. People offer yellow flowers to Goddess Saraswati on the auspicious day of Vasant Panchami (Basant Panchami) as there is an abundance of blossomed mustard flowers and marigolds (Genda Phool). You can explore the various places to visit in Punjab and other northern states at this time of the year to enjoy the festivities in its regional form. In the Punjab region, Basant is celebrated as a seasonal festival by all faiths and is known as the Festival of Kites. Children buy dor (thread) and guddi or patang (kites) for flying kites. The people wear yellow clothes and eat yellow rice to emulate the yellow mustard (sarson) flower field. In Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, in addition to Saraswati Puja, people worship Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati (as the mother earth) and agricultural products. People eat yellow rice and wear yellow clothes. People also buy stationery and gift these items to their loved ones.

If you wish to celebrate Vasant Panchami in Uttar Pradesh, book hotels in Vrindavan or hotels in Mathura as these are the perfect choices to be truly involved in the celebrations. The day marks the beginning of the Holi festivities in the Brij Temples by decorating them with yellow-coloured flowers. You can visit the Sri Banke Bihari temple or other temples in Mathura and Vrindavan, where priests start Holi celebrations by tossing Abeer and Gulal on the devotees.

Rituals to be Followed on Vasant Panchami 

Following are the main rituals and activities performed on the day of Vasant Panchami:

• Saraswati Puja is done at home, schools and colleges.
• You can wear white or yellow attires to be truly in the festive mood.
• You can also fly kites or get into a competition of cutting your neighbour’s kite.
• Offer mustard and marigold flowers to Goddess Saraswati.
• Parents can start teaching or making their kids learn from this day which is also known as Vidya Arambha.
• Starting new ventures, especially inaugurating educational institutes and colleges is considered auspicious on this day.
• Pitri Tarpan for deceased family members is also done by most of the people on Vasant Panchami.

Vasant Panchami is the celebration of a new beginning, knowledge and happiness. People worship the Goddess Saraswati in different parts of the country on the day and seek her blessings. 

If you wish to witness the celebrations in any part of the country, you can book budget-friendly Treebo hotels from Trebbo Club’s website or app.