During the main Puja, devotees gather at Ghats to stand in the water and make offerings to the Sun God
Folk songs dedicated to the Sun God and the aroma of traditional offerings filled the air in Delhi as the four-day Chhath Puja started on Tuesday. The ghats in the city were decorated for devotees to come and offer prayers to the Sun God.
Chhath Puja, celebrated on the sixth day after Delhi, is observed
mainly in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. But as many people from those states have moved to Delhi, it has become an important festival in the national capital.
On the third day of Chhath Puja, which will fall on Thursday, devotees gather around the ghats to stand in the water and offer their prayers to the Sun God. This is the
day of the main Puja.In Delhi, people gather around the banks of the Yamuna and local ponds and lakes to observe the Puja. Some major ghats include Qudsia Ghat, and ghats at Wazirabad, Sonia Vihar, Najafgarh and Kalindi Kunj.
Offerings made by devotees include vegetables, fruits and other natural products.
'Thekua' - a sweet made out of fine flour, ghee and sugar - is the main 'prasad' offered during the Puja.
The ghats have been inspected by various civic leaders as they prepared for the main Puja. Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai yesterday had visited Shyam Ghat at Jagatpur in the Wazirabad area.
"This year, Chhath Puja is being observed at 565 ghats while last year it was organised at 268 ghats. The government had earlier constructed 50 permanent ghats for the celebrations," a senior official said.
The Delhi Government has announced Thursday as a
public holiday.