Teej or Haritalika is a women’s festival. Teej and Rishi Panchami take place on two days in close succession, both calling for women to observe religious fasting. On the day of Teej, they fast for twenty-four hours for the longevity of their husbands and, in the evening, visit the shrine of Pashupati and other Shiva shrines and offer worship to Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. Rishi Panchami is mainly devoted to cleansing the body by bathing in a river for any sin the women may have committed during the past year. On this day, women worship the main ancestral seers in honour of the long ascetic tradition of Hinduism and the notion of purity of descent, which refers to the belief in the importance of maintaining the purity of one’s lineage. All women whose husbands are still with them wear red, green or orange clothes and are decked out in all sorts of jewellery these two days. The main activities include singing in groups, dancing in groups, getting with friends, telling religious stories, colouring hands and feet with henna colour, sharing special festive foods, etc.

Rishi Panchami is mainly celebrated to remember the seven ancient sages, the Kashyapa, Bharadwaja, Atri, Gautama Maharishi,  Vishvamitra, Vashishtha and Jamadagni, who devoted their life to the welfare of society.