Across India, devotees celebrated Chhath Puja, with many gathering at ghats to offer 'arghya' to the Sun God. In Delhi, worshippers used artificial "ghats" to perform rituals, as natural water bodies were limited. Visuals from various regions showed large crowds immersed in devotion, observing traditional customs with dedication. Women, dressed in colourful attire, performed the rituals while fasting and standing in waist-deep water. The festival is especially significant in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, symbolising gratitude and seeking blessings for well-being.
Visuals from across India show women standing in water, performing pujas as the Chhath festival concludes today with the offering of 'arghya' to the rising sun.
#WATCH | Delhi: Chhath preparations underway at a ghat in ITO. The festival will end today morning with ‘Arghya’ to the rising Sun. Drone visuals from ITO#chhathpuja2024pic.twitter.com/3pe7gA0gKs
— ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2024
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Chhath preparations underway at a ghat in Prayagraj. The festival will end today morning with ‘Arghya’ to the rising Sun. #chhathpuja2024pic.twitter.com/FFO9Xlqket
— ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2024
#WATCH | West Bengal: Chhath preparations underway at Chotelal Ghat in Kolkata. The festival will end today morning with ‘Arghya’ to the rising Sun. #chhathpuja2024pic.twitter.com/1lNDnvgsnJ
— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2024
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Chhath preparations underway at Sector 21 stadium in Noida. The festival will end today morning with ‘Arghya’ to the rising Sun. #chhathpuja2024pic.twitter.com/jb5nPCJhN5
— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2024
#WATCH | Bihar: Chhath preparations underway at Patna College Ghat in Patna. The festival will end today morning with ‘Arghya’ to the rising Sun. #chhathpuja2024pic.twitter.com/RZXCZkotf4
— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2024
VIDEO | Uttar Pradesh: People gather at Balua Ghat on the banks of Yamuna River in Prayagraj to perform Chhath rituals.(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7)#Chhath#ChhathPuja2024pic.twitter.com/sRQOH2kgv0
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 8, 2024
Chhath Puja is a four-day celebration dedicated to honouring the Sun God. It involves an intense fast without water, during which devotees make offerings to Usha and Pratyusha, symbolising the light of the rising and setting sun, while standing in water. The main rituals commence on the sixth day (Shashthi) of Kartik Shukla Paksha, the waxing phase of the Kartik month.
Chhath Puja begins with Naha Kha, where devotees take a ritual bath in a waterbody and prepare a simple meal, often bottle gourd, on a specially made stove. On the second day, Kharna, they consume a single evening meal of roti and kheer, followed by a 36-hour fast without water. The third day involves gathering at riverbanks or temporary pools decorated with diyas, rangoli, and sugarcane stalks, where offerings of fruits in cane baskets (soops) are presented to the setting sun (Sanjh ka Arghya). The final day, Bhor ka Arghya, sees devotees making a similar offering at dawn to the rising sun, concluding the festival with gratitude.