Bhubaneswar: Chhath puja is being observed in different places of Odisha including Bhubaneswar. The festival is observed by the Bihari community. Rituals of the festival is practiced mainly by women while male members also join. Arrangement has been made at the Kuakhai ghat, Chintamaniswar ghat and Tankpani road. Ample arrangement has been made especially at the Kuakhai ghat keeping in view the large number of footfall.
This year the festival started on November 11 to continue for four days till November 14. On Wednesday morning the final ritual of offering ‘arghya’ to the Sun God will be observed at dawn.
As per legends Chhath Maiya is considered to be the sister of Sun God. It is said that people who worship her on the sixth day of Kartika (Shukla) month are blessed with sons and daughters.
The four day festival begins with ‘Nahai khai’ on the first day. On this day women take holy bath in the nearby river/pond and consume pure vegetarian food without salt, onion, and garlic.
The second day is known as ‘Kharna’. On this day devotees keep fast for the entire day and have Kheer and Roti in the evening after offering it to the Moon and Goddess Ganga.
Main ritual of the third day is ‘Sandhya Arghya’ which is performed on Karthik Shukla Shashthi. Women wake up early in the morning and prepare ‘prasad’ that is to be offered to the God. In the evening they head to the river/pond dressed in traditional attire. The family members follow her, holding the bamboo basket, often called soop, filled with fruits and other offerings.
The river/pond bank is decorated with flowers and banana stems and leaves. Devotees stand in the water with the basket in their hands facing the sun. Similar ritual is followed the next day at the dawn that is called ‘Usha Arghya’. Main offerings of the festival include thekua, kheer and laddoo made of rice grit and fruits like sugarcane, coconut, apple and bananas.
A few mythological legends are associated with Chhath puja. According to one legend Karna of Mahabharat used to worship Sun God. He used to stand in waist-deep water till hours to offer arghya to the God. And by the grace of God, he became a great warrior.
According to another legend when the Pandavas had lost everything in gambling, Draupadi kept fast for Chhath. It is believed that thanks to the observance of the rituals of the festival, Pandavas finally got everything back.
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Ms Kalinga