For Hariyali Teej, tradition calls for green. Married women across Rajasthan and North India dress in a green poshak — most often lehariya or bandhej — and complete the look with green bangles, fresh mehndi, and the sola shringar (the sixteen adornments). In Rajasthan the festival is even called Shingara Teej — the Teej of adornment, where dressing beautifully is the celebration itself. Hariyali Teej 2026 falls on Saturday, 15 August.
This guide walks you through the entire look — the right poshak, the shringar that goes with it, and the green bangles at the heart of it — the way it’s traditionally done in Rajasthan.
Teej in Rajputana: the Rajput woman’s festival of green
Rajasthan is a land of sand and stone, and for most of the year its colours are ochre and dust. So when the monsoon finally breaks over the Aravallis and the earth turns green almost overnight, the change is nothing short of magic — and Hariyali Teej is how the women of Rajputana have always welcomed it.
In the havelis and forts, swings were tied to the old beams and to the neem trees in the courtyards, and the women of the household gathered to celebrate. There was ghoomar — the graceful Rajput dance, wide ghagras spinning in slow circles — and there were Teej geet, the folk songs of Sawan passed from mother to daughter. Hands were darkened with fresh mehndi, and everyone, from the new brides to the elders of the family, wore green.
The green was deliberate. A Rajput woman dressed in a green lehariya or bandhej poshak so that she mirrored the rain-washed land around her — the poshak becoming a part of the season itself. From her parents’ home came the sindhara: a gift of new clothes, green bangles, and ghewar, the honeycomb sweet that belongs to Sawan.
Nowhere is this more alive than in Jaipur, where Teej is still marked by a grand procession through the old city — the idol of Teej Mata, Goddess Parvati herself, carried in a palanquin past the pink walls while crowds gather to watch. For a Jaipur family, Teej isn’t a date on the calendar; it’s the city’s own festival.
For the Rajput woman, the poshak was never only clothing — it was identity, and Teej was the day it was worn with the most joy. That same heritage lives on in every green poshak a woman ties on for Hariyali Teej today.
Why green? The meaning behind the Hariyali Teej look
Hariyali literally means greenery. The festival arrives at the peak of Sawan (Shravan), when the monsoon has washed the earth green, and the colour green runs through every part of the day — the attire, the bangles, the swings hung from rain-soaked trees.
Green is worn because it stands for renewal, fertility and marital bliss — the very things Hariyali Teej celebrates. The festival honours the reunion of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva, and married women dress in green and fast for the wellbeing and long life of their husbands. Unmarried girls observe it too, praying for a good match.
The festival goes by different names across regions — Shingara Teej or Shravani Teej in Rajasthan, and Teeyan in Punjab — but the heart of it is the same everywhere: green, adornment, and celebration.
The traditional Hariyali Teej poshak
A Rajputi poshak — the traditional four-piece Rajasthani ensemble of kurti, kanchli, ghagra and odhani — is the classic choice for Teej. For Hariyali Teej specifically, the fabric and print matter as much as the colour, because certain prints are made for exactly this season.
Lehariya — the print made for Sawan
If there is one print that belongs to Hariyali Teej, it’s lehariya. The name comes from leher — a wave — and the diagonal ripples of the tie-dye are meant to echo the rush of monsoon rain and water. A green lehariya poshak is the most quintessentially “Sawan” thing a woman can wear, which is why it’s the go-to for Teej celebrations across Rajasthan.
Green bandhej (bandhani)
Bandhej — Rajasthan’s dotted tie-dye — is the other traditional favourite. A green bandhani poshak, often with a contrasting red or yellow odhani, carries the festive richness Teej calls for while staying rooted in Rajasthani craft.
Gota patti and lighter work for the daytime
Teej daytime is for the jhula (swing), mehndi and gathering with the women of the family — so a lighter poshak with delicate gota patti work is ideal. Save the heavier, more embellished pieces for the evening puja.
Shades that work best: mehndi green, parrot green, sea green and bottle green — paired with gold gota, kundan or contrast borders.
Sola shringar — the sixteen adornments for Teej
The sola shringar is the set of sixteen traditional adornments a married woman wears on auspicious occasions, and Hariyali Teej is one of the occasions it’s most associated with. The idea is simple: a bride’s — and a married woman’s — beauty is completed from head to toe. Here’s the full sixteen, and where each piece fits into your Teej look:
- Poshak / attire — the green ensemble itself
- Bindi — on the forehead
- Sindoor — in the parting of the hair
- Borla / maang tikka — the Rajputi ball-shaped maang tikka is the signature head ornament
- Kajal — for the eyes
- Nath — the nose ring, a defining piece of the Rajasthani look
- Earrings — jhumka or kundan studs
- Necklace — an aad, timaniya or pachi kundan haar
- Bajuband — the armlet
- Bangles / chudi — green, always, for Teej
- Rings
- Kamarband — the waistband
- Payal — anklets
- Bichhua — toe rings
- Mehndi — fresh, on the hands
- Gajra / flowers — in the hair
You don’t have to wear every one of the sixteen — but the more of them you carry, the more complete and traditional the look. For Teej, the non-negotiables are the green poshak, green bangles, borla or maang tikka, and fresh mehndi.
Green bangles — the heart of the Teej shringar
If green is the colour of Hariyali Teej, then green bangles are its clearest symbol. Filling both wrists with green chudi is one of the oldest markers of the festival — green here signals a married woman’s good fortune and echoes Parvati’s blessing.
There’s more than one way to do it:
- Lakh (lac) bangles — the traditional Rajasthani choice, hand-made from lac and often set with tiny mirrors or stones. A stack of green lakh bangles is as authentic as it gets.
- Glass green bangles — the simplest, most classic form, layered thick on each arm.
- Kundan and meenakari green bangles — for a richer, festive finish, especially for the evening.
The prettiest Teej wrists usually mix it up — green as the base, with a few gold or kundan bangles breaking the stack for shine.
Mehndi, gajra and the finishing touches
No Teej look is complete without fresh mehndi. Applying henna the night before is part of the ritual itself, and by morning the hands are ready for the bangles to go over them. Add a gajra of fresh flowers in the hair, kajal in the eyes, and the bindi and sindoor — and the sixteen come together.
How to put your complete Hariyali Teej look together
Here’s the simplest way to build the full look, in order:
- Start with a green poshak — a lehariya or bandhej for the most traditional feel, or a gota-patti green poshak for a lighter daytime look.
- Layer the shringar — borla or maang tikka, nath, earrings, and a kundan haar. Match the jewellery tone (gold-kundan works with almost every green).
- Fill the wrists with green bangles — lakh or glass as the base, broken up with a few kundan bangles.
- Finish with mehndi and a gajra — plus bindi, sindoor and kajal.
Daytime jhula look: lighter poshak, green glass or lakh bangles, minimal jewellery, fresh flowers. Evening puja look: richer bandhej or embellished poshak, full sola shringar, kundan bangles and heavier pieces.
Whether you’re keeping it simple or going full bridal-level, the formula stays the same — green, adorned, head to toe.
Explore the collection: green Rajputi poshak, pachi kundan jewellery, and green bangles — everything for your Hariyali Teej look in one place.
Hariyali Teej 2026: date and significance
Hariyali Teej 2026 falls on Saturday, 15 August, on the Shukla Paksha Tritiya of the month of Shravan — the same day as India’s Independence Day this year. The festival marks the reunion of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva; married women observe a fast for their husband’s long life and wellbeing, while unmarried girls fast in hope of a good match. It’s celebrated with swings, songs, mehndi and — above all — dressing in green.