Thousands of people on Sunday gathered at Chandigarh’s Sector 42 Lake to offer prayers to the setting Sun on the occasion of Chhath Puja — one of the most important festivals of eastern part of India, especially Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

Devotees, along with their families, thronged the man-made lake to pray before the setting Sun for prosperity and happiness of their family members.

Chandigarh Administration had deployed police personnel and emergency services like ambulance at the Lake.

Devotees offered ‘araghya’ to the setting sun. On Monday morning, the devotees will offer their final heartfelt gratitude to the Surya Bhagwan (Sun God).

The festival is one of the oldest rituals of nature worship in India celebrated in the honour of the Sun God. The devotees from all parts of the tricity thronged Sector 42 Lake to offer their first arghya (offering) to the setting sun — on the third day of the four-day festivities.

The Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, had also made elaborate arrangements at the Sector 42 Lake with special lighting and cleanliness, keeping in view the spirit of the festival. Traffic and security arrangements were also made by the UT police as more than 20,000 people gathered on the occasion.

This is the only festival in which even the setting sun is offered prayers. The philosophy behind the thought is that birth is always followed by death and the rising sun is followed by the setting sun.

The festivities commences with Nahai Khai (eating after bathing) and continues for four days with traditional rituals like lohanda or Kharna, Sanjha Arghya and it concludes with the final prayer and offering of the Subah Arghya.

The devotees in the tricity have been fasting since Saturday; and on Sunday, they offered their evening prayers to the setting Sun. It was a picturesque view of the devotees thronging the Sector-42 Lake, standing knee deep in waters to offer prayers to the Sun God for all the blessings and prosperity that have been bestowed by him.

On Monday morning, the devotees will offer their final heartfelt gratitude to the Surya Bhagwan (Sun God) with the Subah Arghya or Soop which consists of flowers, seasonal fruits, grass, sugarcane, radish and other newly harvested crops. With the conclusion of their prayer, they will go back home to break their day-long fast by eating prasadam, or the food  offered to the almighty Sun God.