Live
- Tata Motors’ net profit drops 11 pc on slow JLR, commercial vehicles sales
- In peak poll time, MVA allies target BJP-MahaYuti over 'washing machine politics' in Maharashtra
- PM Modi in Maha rally dares MVA leaders to make Congress praise Savarkar, Bal Thackeray's ideology
- Lee Carsley reveals no contact yet with incoming England Boss Thomas Tuchel
- Satyasai Vratams with Devotion
- Ashok Leyland registers 37 pc jump in Q2 net profit, declares dividend
- Vote for Mahayuti means people are with PM, says HM Shah in Maharashtra
- Neeraj Chopra to commence one month off-season training in South Africa later this month
- Grand Celebrations of CM Revanth Reddy’s Birthday
- Telangana Government Forms Cabinet Sub-Committee to Address Employee Issues
Four day Chhath festival comes to an end peacefully
The four-day Chhath festival ended peacefully in Bihar on Monday morning with millions of people, mostly women, ignoring the morning chill and taking a dip in the river to offer prayers to the rising sun. Devotees, known as \'varti\', ended their 36-hour fast by offering prayers and floating lighted earthen lamps in the river and other water bodies. They also sang traditional songs and distributed
Patna:The four-day Chhath festival ended peacefully in Bihar on Monday morning with millions of people, mostly women, ignoring the morning chill and taking a dip in the river to offer prayers to the rising sun.
Devotees, known as 'varti', ended their 36-hour fast by offering prayers and floating lighted earthen lamps in the river and other water bodies. They also sang traditional songs and distributed offerings among family members, relatives and neighbours.
The offerings comprised fruits, home-made sweets like thekuas, pedas, pakwan, chawal ke laddoo (sweets made of rice), raw vegetables and the first crop from the fields. All the sweets and offerings were arranged in baskets and trays made of bamboo.
Chhath passing off peacefully barring a few minor incidents is a big relief to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the state administration, which had made elaborate security arrangements.
The Sun, considered the god of energy and life force, is worshipped during Chhath for well being, prosperity and progress.
The devotees had been offering prayers to the rising and setting sun since Friday.
According to officials, more than five lakh people gathered on the banks of the Ganges and Punpur rivers in the last two days to offer prayers to the Sun God in Patna and neighbouring districts.
Large crowds were also seen in Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Purnea and other districts of the state.
The celebrations began with devotees taking a dip in the river, a tradition known as 'nahai khai'. It was followed by the ritual of 'kharna' on Saturday when sweet dishes were prepared and distributed among relatives and friends.
The festival, once limited to Bihar, has become popular across the country due to the large scale migration of workers from the state.
Chhath was widely celebrated in metros like Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and states like Assam, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and even Tamil Nadu.
