Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended warm wishes on the occasion of Kharna Puja of Chhath festival and saluted all the devotees observing fast today.
In a post shared on Twitter, PM Modi said, “Hearty greetings to everyone on the auspicious occasion of Kharna Puja of Chhath festival. Regards to all the devotees observing the fast! There is a tradition of consuming Satvik Prasad made of jaggery kheer on this auspicious occasion, a symbol of faith and restraint. I wish that Chhathi Maiya bestows her blessings on everyone on this ritual.”
The Prime Minister also attached YouTube links of devotional songs dedicated to Chhathi Maiya in his post on Twitter.
It is noteworthy that the four-day Chhath festival dedicated to the worship of Sun God started on Saturday with the sacred ritual of Nahay-Khay. The second day of the festival is ‘Kharna’ on Sunday. On this day, devotees or Vrati break their fast by consuming a special meal including Rasiya Kheer and Roti after worshiping Chhathi Maiya in the evening.
The Kharna ritual serves as the final step of purifying the mind, body and soul after the initial purification of the first day and is preceded by a rigorous 36-hour waterless fast that continues until the conclusion of the festival.
Meanwhile, after Diwali, various states including Bihar, Assam and West Bengal get ready for the celebration of Chhath Puja. Preparations for Chhath Puja are going on at Chhath Ghat near Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Delhi.
While people in Prayagraj flock to the markets for Chhath Puja, the markets in Kolkata are filled with “chhaj” or fluttering baskets, fruits and other items required for the occasion. Preparations for Chhath Puja were made on the banks of river Gomti in Lucknow on Saturday.
Meanwhile, preparations for the occasion were made at Kendui Ghat in Bihar, where women took it upon themselves to clean the chaat with brooms. While assuring security arrangements, Gaya DCP Dharmendra Bharti said that in view of the upcoming assembly elections, the administration has taken special care to celebrate the festivals smoothly.
He said, “Complete security arrangements are in place. Elections are going on, but we are paying special attention. All security arrangements have been made and all the representatives have been checked by the DM, SP and SSP. There will be no problem. Preparations for traffic management have also been made. We are issuing separate instructions for this.”
Officials in Guwahati inspected the preparations for Chhath Puja at the ghats of Brahmaputra river on Saturday night. A police officer ensured that security measures were in coordination with Pujaal committees, SDRF and NDRF.
He said, “We are here to inspect the security arrangements for Chhath Puja. We have held meetings with all the puja committees and are monitoring the security arrangements in coordination with them. We are ensuring proper safety of all the people coming to perform the puja. In coordination with the SDRF and NDRF, we are also checking the water level here. On the Brahmaputra ghats, we are trying our best to ensure that no accidents happen.”
The four-day Chhath festival dedicated to the worship of Sun God began on Saturday with the sacred ritual of Nahay-Khay. This year this festival will be celebrated from 25 to 28 October with various rituals, which include Nahay-Khay on Chaturthi Tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha, Kharna on Panchami, Chhath Puja on Shashthi and Usha Arghya on Saptami.
