is believed that this festival is celebrated to commemorate the coronation of Rama post his return to Ayodhya after completing 14 years of exile. Gudhi is believed to ward off evil, invite prosperity and good luck into the house. Festivities On the festive day, courtyards in village houses will be swept clean and plastered with fresh cow-dung. Even in the city, people take the time out to do some spring cleaning. Women and children work on intricate rangoli designs on their doorsteps, the vibrant colours mirroring the burst of colour associated with spring. Everyone dresses up in new clothes and it is a time for family gatherings. Traditionally, families prepare a special dish that mixes various flavours, particularly the bitter leaves of the neem tree and sweet jaggery (gur, gul). Additional ingredients include sour tamarind and astringent dhane seeds. This, like the pacchadi recipe used in Ugadi festival, is eaten as a reminder of life's sweet and bitter experiences, as well as a belief that the neem-based mixture has health benefits. Maharashtrian families also make many other festive dishes, such as shrikhand and Poori or Puran Poli on this day. Guḍhī Pāḍavā in other languages, states and people Known as Guḍhī Pāḍavā ("Gudhee Paadavaa") in Maharashtra, this festival is also known as Bihu among the Assamese of Assam. Cheti Chand among the Sindhi people Navreh among the Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir. Pahela Baishakh among the Bengalis in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Puthandu among the Tamils in Tamil Nadu. Samvatsar Padvo among Hindu Konkanis of Goa and Konkani diaspora in Kerala Vaisakhi or Baisakhi among the Punjabis in Punjab. Vishu or among the Malayalis in Kerala. Ugadi among the south-Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is also celebrated as Sajibu Nongma Panba Cheiraoba in countries like Nepal, Myanmar, Cambodia and other nations where there are lot of Hindus like Singapore and Malaysia. People prepare a variety of food and cuisine on this day and later climb the hillocks in the evening. In Jammu and Kashmir,, the Kashmiri Hindu or Pundit community, also the Kashmiri Sikh community celebrate this Festival as Navreh, the start of New Lunar Year. A big thal viz a brass eating plate is filled with uncooked rice and the new Panchangam, the Kashmiri Hindu Ephemeris is placed in it. A little cooked rice, curds, salt, all in small cups, a clean Indian rupee