City braces for hassle-free Chhath Puja celebrations

Hyderabad: Diwali festivities have concluded but festive fervour continues in the city, as the Bihari community is gearing up for a vibrant Chhath Puja celebration. Preparations are underway at 22 Ghats including Hussain Sagar for the puja, which will be celebrated on Thursday and Friday.

Arrangements are in full swing at all 22 artificial ponds including Tank Bund (Bathukamma Ghat-Children Park, Fox Sagar, Uppal, Jala Vihar Necklace Road) and also at several baby ponds. Two organisations, Jan Seva Sangh and the Bihar Association, Hyderabad have recently approached the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for arrangements at the puja sites. Artificial ponds are filled with water and also other arrangements like setting up a small stage, placing chairs, tents, etc. are being made, apart from illumination of all the sites.

Chhath is a four-day Hindu festival dedicated to worshipping the Sun God that is observed six days after Diwali, specifically on the sixth day of Kartika Masam (October–November) of the Hindu calendar. Chhath Puja is an important religious festival for the people of Bihar, Jharkhand, the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh and Terai region of Nepal and it is the only community that worships to the rising sun and setting sun on this occasion. These communities have been residing in the city for decades and are gearing up to celebrate the festival with traditional zeal.

Manvendra Mishra, advisor and ex-president of Bihar Association Hyderabad, said, “All arrangements are in place at all the water bodies. For the past several years, with the support of Telangana government, we have been celebrating Chhath puja in a similar way that is being celebrated in Bihar. The rituals are observed over a four-day period, which have already begun on November 5. On the third day, which is a very important part of the festival, we all gather near the lake and offer prayers to the Sun when it sets, and also on the fourth day, i.e. the last day of the festival which will be observed on Friday, we will offer prayers to the rising Sun.”

“This year we will celebrate the festival in a grand manner. For the past several years, we have been organising at Bathukamma Ghat-Children Park and we are celebrating in the same zeal and tradition that is celebrated in Bihar. Around 54 artificial boxes have been set up, where womenfolk will stand and offer prayers to the Sun God. We also have planned various cultural programmes that will be held after the prayers are made. Around 7,000 people will be participating in the festival,” said Hare Ram Singh, president of Bihar Association Hyderabad.