Chhath Puja concludes with prayers to the rising sun

Thousands of devotees gathered to offer morning prayers to the rising sun on the last day of Chhath Puja on Saturday. Most people across the country stuck to the traditional practice of offering prayers at river banks on the concluding day of the four-day Puja, flouting the guidelines issued to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease. The four-day celebration period of Chhath Puja, dedicated to the Sun God, see rituals known as Prathihar, Dala Chhath, Chhathi, and Surya Shashthi.

Lucknow’s Gomti riverfront, the Ganga banks in Varanasi and Patna and other places in Mumbai, Delhi and Bhubaneswar were abuzz with devotees despite the Covid-19 restrictions, according to news agency ANI. However, many devotees decided to stay back home to offer ‘arghya’ to the rising sun from temporary water bodies, made specifically for the festival inside their campuses. The festivities conclude on the fourth day after devotees perform the ‘Usha Arghya’ (offering prayers to the rising sun). The Chhath Puja is celebrated on the sixth day of the Kartik month of the Hindu calendar, which is also the fourth day after Diwali.