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Devotees gathered on the banks of the Kalindi Kunj Ghat in New Delhi on Monday morning to offer 'Araghya' to the rising sun, on the last day of the 4-day Chhath Puja festival.
Similar celebrations were witnessed in other parts of the national capital where devotees offered prayers to the rising sun. Chhath is one of the significant celebrations in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country. While Chhath is usually celebrated with a ton of energy in Kartik month according to the Hindu calendar, however, in numerous regions of India, the celebration is also held during Chaitra. The Chhath Puja during this month is additionally referred to as Chaiti Chhath. In certain parts of northern India, particularly the Braj area, it is also called Yamuna Chhath. Chaiti Chhath is celebrated on Shukla Paksha Shashthi in Chaitra month and is observed during Chaitra Navratri. The celebration is additionally referred to as Yamuna Chhath. It is believed that the river Yamuna came down to earth on this day and, accordingly, it likewise denotes the birth anniversary of Goddess Yamuna or Yamuna Jayanti. Devoted to Chhathi Maiyya and Surya Bhagwan, the celebration is observed over a range of 4 days, beginning with ceremonies of Nahay Khay, followed by Kharna or Lohanda, Sandhya Arghya and culminating with Usha Arghya which is proposed to the rising sun on the last day. The two Chhaths are observed at different times of the year, although they are mostly celebrated the same way. The devout celebration starts with Nahay-Khay, where vratis clean up in holy water and eat rice, chana dal and bottled gourd sabzi. On Kharna, the second day of Chhath, devotees mark fast from morning to night and have Rasiya kheer and roti at night. After this, a 36-hour difficult fast starts all through the third day and ends in the early hours of the fourth day. (ANI)
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