Vat Savitri Vrat
वट सावित्री व्रत
Vat Savitri Vrat (वट सावित्री व्रत) is a fast kept by married women for the long life, health and prosperity of their husbands. Observed in the month of Jyeshtha, it commemorates Savitri, who by her devotion won back her husband Satyavan's life from Yama, the lord of death. Women worship the vat (banyan) tree, tying a sacred thread around it, and pray for unbroken marital good fortune (akhand saubhagya).
Fasting Rules & Vidhi
Married women keep a day-long fast (nirjala — without water — in the strict tradition).
Wear the 16 shringar (bridal adornments) and new or auspicious clothes.
Go to a vat (banyan) tree, offer water, roli, akshata and flowers, and circle it 7 times while winding a raw cotton thread (kaccha sutra) around the trunk.
Worship Savitri and Satyavan, offer fruit, bhiga chana (soaked gram), and a hand-fan, and listen to the Vat Savitri Vrat Katha.
Chant prayers for the husband's long life and offer the bel/banyan and pray to Goddess Savitri.
Break the fast after the puja, taking the soaked-gram and fruit prasad.
Significance & Story
Vat Savitri honours Savitri, the ideal of wifely devotion, who followed Yama and through her wisdom and steadfastness won back the life of her husband Satyavan. The banyan (vat) tree is worshipped because Satyavan regained his life beneath it, and the tree symbolises longevity and the enduring bond of marriage. Married women keep the vrat for their husband's long life, health and a happy, lasting marriage.