Chhath Festival Ends With Offering of 'Aragaya' to Rising Sun

Patna: The four-day Chhath festival ended today with devotees offering 'Argaya' this morning to the rising sun.

Lakhs of devotees thronged the banks of Ganga early in the morning to offer 'argaya' to the rising Sun god.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too woke up early in the morning and offered 'argaya'. The celebration is a sedate affair at his official residence 7 Circular Road, away from media glare where his sister-in-law is performing the puja.

However, at a stone's throw away at the residence of former chief minister Lalu Prasad, the mood was electric. The former chief minister's all seven daughters and sons-in-law were present along with newly-elected legislator sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejaswi Yadav.

Mr Prasad and other family members lined up early in the morning and gave 'argaya' with Rabri Devi standing in water with "soop" (wooden basket).

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Both Mr Kumar and Mr Prasad extended warm greetings to the people of Bihar on Chhath.

For Samajwadi Party lawmaker from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, Tej Pratap Yadav, it was his first outing on the occasion of Chhath after marriage with Mr Prasad's daughter Raj Lakshmi this year. He said, "The landslide victory of grand secular alliance made this Chhath special for us."

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In fact, it is after a long time that Rabri Devi is observing Chhath in Patna. Earlier, she performed the puja in Delhi. Her eldest daughter Misa Bharti along with her sisters was seen helping Rabri Devi who stood in the pond.

Elaborate security arrangement has been made on the banks of the Ganga and ponds in Patna and elsewhere. National Disaster Response Force personnel were patrolling the river banks.

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Reports of devotees thronging rivers, ponds and congregating at their roofs and offering argaya to the rising sun came from across the state.

The sun temple in Aurangabad also saw heavy rush of devotees.