large number of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh natives among others performed Chhath Puja rituals on the banks of rivers in various parts of Uttarakhand on Thursday. They stood in the rivers and other water-bodies for hours and offered prayer to the setting Sun in the evening.
The festive fervour of Chhath puja peaked on the day as hundreds of 'pravratis' (devotees) from Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, now living in various districts of Uttarakhand, flocked to the riverbanks or small ponds and makeshift water bodies to pay obeisance to the Sun god at the auspicious time when it is setting for the day.
Tapkeshwar, Premnagar, Chandrabani, Raipur, Maldevta canal, Rispana, Deepnagar, Rishikesh and Chuna Bhatta aside from several other places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts saw hordes of devotees heading towards the rivers, ponds and other water bodies to offer prayer to Sun when it was setting leaving a crimson grandeur across the firmament. In tune with the sizes of the gathering, fairs came up along the banks at several places.
The Chhath Puja committees had decorated the ghats and other puja venues while Chhath songs blaring out over the loud speakers lent a festive tinge to the atmosphere.
Devotees started heading towards the venues a little after 3 pm. While most of them made it a point to walk all the way some, however, reached on auto- rickshaws, tractors and the like.
After the offering of Ganga jal and milk was done they returned home to prepare for going out again early Friday morning to offer prayer.
The third day of the Chhath Puja was spent in preparing the prasad (offerings) at home. In the evening, the entire households accompanied the devotees, locally known as Parvaitins, to the riverbanks, ponds or a fairly large water bodies where Arghyas are made to the sun god. The ambience, electric with devotion and delight, was almost like that of a carnival in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital as the Pravitins, draped in new cotton saris, dipped in the rivers and offered Arghya to the sun at the auspicious time when the crimson orb was setting. The offerings consist of fruits, homemade sweets like thekuas, pedas, pakwan and chawal ke laddoo (sweets made of rice) aside from vegetables and the first crop fresh from the fields.
The rituals of the festival are rigorous and are observed over a period of four days. The devotees do not feel they are taking pains. They are rather exalted being part of the puja. The spirit of self-abnegation by way of prayer to the God forms the quintessence of the festival.
Ranchi (Jharkhand) native Anil, aged 18, now living in Raipur, said, “My parents came to Dehradun around 25 years ago, seeking jobs and since then we have been celebrating Chhath puja here.”
Another devotee found at Rispana said, “Chhuth Puja being one of the most sacred festivals celebrated in Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the people of these states wherever they are living now make it a point to take part in the observance of the rituals.”