🌾 Kajari Teej (Badi Teej / Satudi Teej) 2027
Bhadrapada Krishna Tritiya (3 days after Raksha Bandhan) — the vrat of married women, worship of Neemdi Mata and the Moon, sattu (satu) balls, arghya and paran after moonrise; kajari songs, swings; the fair of Bundi in Rajasthan.
Kajari Teej falls on the Tritiya of the Krishna Paksha of Bhadrapada month — three days after Raksha Bandhan, five days before Janmashtami; among the three Teejs it is the 'Badi Teej' (Hariyali Teej the 'Chhoti Teej', then Hartalika). In Rajasthan it is called Satudi Teej — balls of sattu (satu) are made and the fast is broken with an arghya after moonrise; in north-central India it is Kajari (Kajli) — the festival of the kohl-dark colour of the clouds and the kajari songs (the kajari of Mirzapur-Banaras).
Married women keep a waterless/fruit fast for the long life of the husband and unbroken good fortune, unmarried girls for the groom of their choice; worship of Neemdi Mata (a neem branch) by a pond, seeing the reflection of the Moon, the neem and the sattu in the flame of a lamp, arghya to the Moon at night — then paran with sattu. Below are this year's date and moonrise, vidhi, samagri, katha, the recipe of the sattu balls and regional customs.
Significance — why this vrat
The Shiva-Parvati vrat: all three Teejs commemorate Parvati's penance and her attaining Shiva — Hariyali Teej the union, on Kajari Teej (Bhadrapada Krishna) Parvati's penance of 108 births was completed and Shiva gave the boon (folk belief); hence the vrat for protecting marital fortune and the groom of one's choice; the fast is broken with the sighting of and arghya to the Moon — like Karwa Chauth, so the moonrise time is above.
The ball of sattu (of barley-gram-wheat) — made with ghee and sugar and offered in the puja, then paran from the hands of the husband/elders; 'Satudi' in Rajasthan; linked to the farming cycle — the memory of the new crop's barley and gram, the wish for clouds (kajra) — rain songs for the farming of Sawan-Bhadon.
In the old days the 'sinjara' (Kajari sinjara) from the parental home to the in-laws' on Teej — mehndi, leheriya, ghevar, bangles; the Kajli Teej fair of Bundi (Rajasthan) (the procession of Teej Mata) is famous; kajari fairs, swings and kajari singing contests in Uttar Pradesh-Bihar; 'Kajaliyan/Bhujariya' in Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh — the exchange of barley shoots on Raksha Bandhan-Kajari.
Puja vidhi (step by step)
This is the household vidhi — the sankalp in the morning, the worship of Neemdi Mata and the sattu ball in the evening, the Moon arghya, paran.
- Bathe in the morning, a leheriya/green-red sari, the sixteen adornments, mehndi (sinjara a day before); sankalp — 'a waterless (or fruit) Kajari Teej vrat for the husband's long life/unbroken good fortune, paran after the Moon arghya'.
- The sattu ball: mix barley/gram/wheat sattu with ghee and powdered sugar (or jaggery) into round balls (laddoos) — 1 large one for the puja + for the family; some homes also make sattu 'kachori/paratha'.
- Evening (Pradosh): make a small clay stepwell/pond by a pond or in the courtyard, plant a neem branch (Neemdi Mata) on its bank, raw milk-water, a chunari; roli-mehndi-kajal-mauli-bangle, malpua/sattu ball, kumkum for Neemdi Mata; light a lamp and see the reflection of Neemdi Mata, the Moon and the sattu in its flame (or in the milk-water pond) — this is the main custom.
- Hear the katha (below — the moneylender/the Brahmin's wife), sing kajari songs, the swing; give the bayana (sattu ball, fruit, money, suhag items) to the mother-in-law/elder sister-in-law and touch her feet.
- At moonrise (time above) the arghya: water-milk, roli-akshat and the bhog of the sattu ball to the Moon; seeing the Moon and the husband through a sieve (some homes); after the arghya take water and sattu from the husband's hand for paran — sattu first, then the meal (poori-halwa-sabzi).
- Unmarried girls: the same Neemdi-Moon puja, the wish for the groom of their choice; a fruit fast.
- The next day: the neem branch and chunari with respect into water/at the root of a tree; distributing the sattu ball as prasad; receiving the sinjara from the daughter-in-law's parental home.
- If the Moon is not visible because of clouds: after the moonrise time (above) give the arghya in the Moon's direction/see the reflection in a mirror or water in the puja thali — paran.
Puja samagri checklist
Sattu, ghee-sugar, a neem branch, chunari, lamp, the arghya pot — the Kajari Teej list.
- Sattu (barley/gram/wheat — 250-500 g), ghee, powdered sugar/boora/jaggery, cardamom — for the balls
- A green neem branch (Neemdi Mata), a clay/thali stepwell-pond, raw milk, water, raw rice
- Chunari (red/green), roli, mehndi, kajal, mauli, bangles, bindi, sindoor, suhag items (for the bayana)
- Lamp (ghee), ghee, incense sticks, camphor, flowers, kumkum, turmeric, akshat
- Malpua/kheer, banana-apple-guava, sweets (ghevar — Rajasthan), jaggery-gram
- Arghya pot (copper), sieve, the Teej katha book, kajari songs
- Leheriya/green sari, the sixteen adornments; bayana for the mother-in-law/elder sister-in-law (sattu ball, money, fruit)
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Open panchang →Vrat katha (the story)
The wife of a poor Brahmin took the Kajari Teej vrat and asked her husband for sattu; the Brahmin had nothing, so at night he took gram, barley, ghee and sugar from the moneylender's shop and began grinding sattu — the noise woke the moneylender, who caught him as a thief. The Brahmin said 'I am no thief, I have taken only a sava ser of sattu for my wife's vrat, nothing else'; the search proved it true; just then the Moon rose — the moneylender said 'from today your wife is my sister in dharma', and sent them home with sattu, jewellery, money and leheriya. The Brahmin's wife gave the Moon arghya and broke the fast — the house filled with wealth and grain.
Hence the customs: the sattu ball is the main prasad, paran only after seeing the Moon, the moneylender's gift — 'whoever worships Kajari Mata (Teej Mata/Parvati) and the Moon with a true heart, Neemdi Mata keeps her marital fortune and her house full'. In places this tale is called 'the tale of the sattu theft', in others it is Parvati's penance — Shiva's boon after 108 births.
The tale of the kajari songs: songs of Sawan-Bhadon in memory of Kajli Devi (Vindhyavasini) of Mirzapur — separation, clouds, the swing, longing for the parental home; the 'kajari dangal' of Banaras-Mirzapur is a heritage of folk music — these are the songs sung on Teej night.
Sattu balls, malpua, ghevar, the Kajari meal
The sattu ball is the mark of Kajari Teej — in both the puja and the paran; alongside malpua (for Neemdi Mata), ghevar-feeni (the sinjara of Rajasthan), poori-halwa-kheer at the paran.
- Sattu ball: 2 cups barley/gram sattu + ½ cup melted ghee + ¾ cup powdered sugar/jaggery + cardamom — kneaded into round balls; the large puja ball eaten from the husband's hand for paran
- Malpua (the bhog of Neemdi Mata), kheer, jaggery-gram, fruit (banana-guava-apple)
- Rajasthan: ghevar-feeni (in the sinjara), satudi laddoos, mawa kachori (Bundi); dal-baati-churma at the paran
- Uttar Pradesh-Bihar: sattu paratha/kachori (the next day), kheer-poori, gujiya (with the kajari songs)
- Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (Kajaliyan/Bhujariya): the exchange of barley shoots, jaggery-gram, kheer
- Waterless on the vrat day (as strength allows) or fruit — milk-fruit-makhana; the pregnant/unwell a fruit fast
Regional customs
The Satudi of Rajasthan and the Teej Mata of Bundi, the kajari songs of UP-Bihar, the Kajaliyan of MP — the customs of the Badi Teej.
A custom, tale, song or dish heard from your grandmother — 2-4 lines; after reading we add it on this page with your region's name (the phone is never shown — only to ask you back).
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✅ Do
- Paran only after the arghya following moonrise (time above); the sattu ball first from the husband's/elders' hand
- Worship Neemdi Mata — see the reflection in the lamp's flame/milk-water; hear the katha
- Bayana and touching the feet of the mother-in-law/elder sister-in-law; receive the sinjara (mehndi-leheriya) from the parental home with respect
- Sattu with pure ghee and sugar at home; the pregnant/unwell keep a fruit fast
- Kajari songs, the swing, family gatherings — the joy of the festival
❌ Don't
- Do not break the fast without seeing the Moon (if cloudy, the arghya in its direction after the moonrise time)
- No forced waterless fast — if weak/dizzy take water and fruit, the merit of the vrat is not lessened
- Do not harm the tree by cutting the neem branch — a small branch, into water/roots after the puja
- No quarrels, black clothes or sleeping in the day on the vrat day; no show or competition in the sinjara
- Not too much ghee and sugar in the sattu balls — jaggery/less sugar if the husband/elders are diabetic
Frequently asked questions
When is Kajari Teej in 2027 and when will the Moon rise?
This year's Bhadrapada Krishna Tritiya date and moonrise time (Delhi) are above — the Moon of the Krishna Paksha Tritiya rises at about 8-9 at night; ±15-20 minutes in your city, check the panchang.
What is the difference between Kajari Teej and Hariyali Teej?
Hariyali Teej is Shravana Shukla Tritiya (Chhoti Teej — swings, green clothes, the union of Parvati and Shiva); Kajari/Badi Teej is Bhadrapada Krishna Tritiya (15 days later — sattu, Neemdi Mata, the Moon arghya); Hartalika is Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya (waterless, night vigil, the strictest). All three are vrats for marital fortune.
Why the sattu ball?
In the katha the Brahmin took a sava ser of sattu for his wife's vrat — since then sattu (barley-gram) is the prasad of Kajari Teej; the memory of the new crop's barley and gram; balls of ghee and sugar offered in the puja and eaten from the husband's hand after the Moon arghya for paran — 'Satudi Teej'.
Who is Neemdi Mata?
A neem branch regarded as 'Neemdi Mata' (a form of Teej Mata/Parvati), planted on the bank of a clay pond and worshipped — the custom of Rajasthan-Malwa; seeing the reflection of the Moon, the sattu and the neem in its shade/the lamp's flame is auspicious; neem cures disease — the wish for both marital fortune and health.
Can an unmarried girl keep this vrat?
Yes — for the groom of her choice; the same Neemdi-Moon puja, a fruit fast; in Rajasthan girls keep both Badi Teej and Gangaur; the first vrat after marriage at the in-laws' with the sinjara.
What if it is cloudy and the Moon is not visible?
After the moonrise time (above) give the arghya in the Moon's direction (east) or worship taking the reflection in a mirror/water in the thali — then paran with sattu; the vrat is regarded as complete; do not delay too late into the night.
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⚠️ This description follows traditional vidhi and folk belief; the custom of your family and region comes first. The moonrise time is for Delhi — see your city's panchang; do not keep a waterless fast in ill health.
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