New Delhi: Devotees are immersed in religious fervour and devotion as the grand festival of folk faith, Chhath Puja, reaches its most significant stage, as they prepare to offer the first arghya to the setting Sun, known as Sandhya Arghya, on Sunday evening.
The four-day festival will conclude on Monday morning with the offering of arghya to the rising Sun.
Devotees observing the festival are undertaking a rigorous 36-hour Nirjala fast without consuming even water and are immersed in the worship of Lord Surya.
On Saturday, Chhath devotees performed the Kharna rituals and prepared prasad, including rasiya, kheer and puris, using traditional methods. The offerings were cooked on clay stoves fuelled by mango wood, maintaining the age-old customs associated with the festival.
After observing a day of strict purity, devotion and religious discipline, the fasting devotees consumed the Kharna prasad in the evening in accordance with the prescribed rituals. This marked the beginning of the challenging 36-hour waterless fast.
In several households, special prayers were organised during the Kharna ritual in separate and secluded rooms, in keeping with the religious traditions associated with Chhath.
Meanwhile, several devotees who had taken vows also began fulfilling them by performing prostrations on their way from their homes towards the ghats. The practice is observed as an expression of deep faith and devotion towards Chhathi Maiya and the Sun God.
According to the scheduled timings, the Sun will set at 4:54 p.m. on Sunday, when devotees will offer the first arghya at the riverbanks and other designated water bodies.
The following morning, the sunrise is expected at 5:59 a.m., when the devotees will offer the final arghya to the rising Sun, bringing the four-day Chhath celebrations to a close.
–IANS–
