Chhath Puja Festivities Conclude; CM Rekha Gupta Joins Celebrations At Delhi’s Yamuna Ghat
New Delhi: The four-day-long Chhath festival concluded across the country on Tuesday morning with the offering of Arghya to the rising Sun God. Standing on the banks of rivers and ponds in the first rays of the morning, Chhath devotees offered prayers to the Sun God with milk, water, and seasonal fruits, breaking their 36-hour fast.A huge crowd of fasting women and devotees gathered at various ghats across Delhi, creating a remarkable atmosphere of devotion and faith. Lakhs of devotees arrived before sunrise at the ghats, artificial ponds, and other designated locations along the Yamuna River and stood in the water to worship the Sun God.
As the first rays of the Sun appeared at around 6:30 am, devotees in the national capital offered "Usha Arghya" (arghya) consisting of milk and water. After offering the arghya, women broke their 36-hour fast and had the prasad, a ritual known as "paran."Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta joined scores of devotees in offering ‘Arghya’ to the rising Sun along the banks of the Yamuna River on the concluding day. Invoking the blessings of ‘Chhathi Maiya’ for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Viksit Delhi’, Gupta said she was delighted to witness the enthusiasm of people and claimed that the arrangements made by her government were being appreciated across the country.Gupta was accompanied by Culture Minister Kapil Mishra, Social Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj, and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa at the ITO ghat. “It is satisfying to see Chhath being celebrated with such grandeur. My Purvanchali brothers and sisters, who were earlier forced to celebrate the festival at artificial ponds, are now able to offer Arghya to the Sun God standing in the Yamuna waters,” Gupta said.The Chief Minister also participated in the Chhath festival, held from Pushta to the Sports Complex, Ram Ghat, and Shyam Ghat, aboard a boat on Monday morning. On the occasion of Sandhya Arghya, she offered prayers to the Sun God at the Sonia Vihar ghat amidst the light of lamps and devotional songs, joining the Chhath devotees.
The BJP government in Delhi made extensive preparations for the Purvanchali community’s major festival, developing ghats at 17 locations along the Yamuna and 1,300 others across the city. Chhath Puja, observed with great devotion by the Purvanchali community, draws large participation from residents who form one of the biggest population groups in Delhi.In Bihar’s Chhapra district, Chhath devotees offered prayers to the Sun God at approximately 350 ghats. The district administration and local youth carried out a massive cleanliness drive at all Chhath ghats. Elaborate lighting arrangements were also made. Special attention was paid to the purity of the Prasad (prasad), which is the soul of this festival.The district administration deployed a large number of police, NDRF, and SDRF teams, led by magistrates, at all ghats. An uninterrupted power supply was ensured to ensure no inconvenience during the night vigil and the offering of Arghya. Crowds of devotees gathered at the Saryu-Ganga river from Manjhi to Sonpur, the Gandak river from Panapur to Sonpur, and the ponds across the district.In view of the Chhath festival, the Railway Ministry operated over 12,000 special trains to Bihar, running from October 28 to November 30. Chhath devotional songs were played at stations like Patna, Darbhanga, and Muzaffarpur, while medical booths and crowd management facilitated travel. With the state Assembly elections just a week away, leaders from various political parties were active in the Chhath celebrations.Devotees had also gathered in large numbers on the ghats of Varanasi to perform the rituals of Chhath Puja on the last day. Devotees also thronged Shastri Ghat to offer prayers on the final day. The four-day Chhath Mahaparv began on October 25 with the ritual of Nahay-Khay, followed by Kharna on October 26, Sandhya Arghya on October 27, and concluded on October 28 with "Usha Arghya ".
(With inputs from agencies).