While the City Beautiful’s Sector 42 New Lake has traditionally served as the principal hub for Chhath Puja celebrations, drawing thousands of devotees from across the region—the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) has significantly decentralised festivities this year by expanding official arrangements to 26 locations across the Tricity.
The four-day festivities honour Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya as devotees pray for family prosperity and longevity. Uniquely dedicated to both the setting and rising Sun, the observance centers on a strict 36-hour waterless fast, culminating in sacred Arghya offerings at dusk on day three and dawn on day four.
Driven by surging footfall and requests from the Purvanchal community, the expansion brings festivities closer to residential neighbourhoods for families unable to travel home. After drawing nearly 80,000 devotees from Bihar and Purvanchal in 2025, celebrations are projected to attract around 90,000 people this year—a 10,000-devotee jump, though organisers are yet to confirm the estimate. The main Arghya rituals will be observed on November 15 and 16.
Anil Dubey, leader of the Purvanchal delegation, said the expansion followed discussions with residents and an assessment of areas where devotees needed accessible arrangements.
“While identifying these areas, we noticed that many people were unable to travel to their hometowns for Chhath Puja. We approached mayor Saurabh Joshi and suggested why the festival could not be organised in the city itself, closer to these residential areas. Following our request, the number of locations was expanded, and arrangements were planned across these neighbourhoods,” Dubey said.
{{/usCountry}}“While identifying these areas, we noticed that many people were unable to travel to their hometowns for Chhath Puja. We approached mayor Saurabh Joshi and suggested why the festival could not be organised in the city itself, closer to these residential areas. Following our request, the number of locations was expanded, and arrangements were planned across these neighbourhoods,” Dubey said.
{{/usCountry}}The 26 locations identified for the celebrations, as shared by Dubey, include Green Belt in Vikas Nagar, Vikas Nagar, the area behind Shiv Mandir in Mauli Jagran, Green Belt in Pocket No. 9 of Indira Colony, Manimajra, Bapu Dham in Sector 26, Tubewell Park in Daria, Ram Darbar Phase 1, Mandi Ground in Ram Darbar Phase 2, Green Belt Part 2 in EWS Colony, Sector 49-C, Behlana, Hallomajra, the area near Green Belt in Sector 30-A, Ramleela Ground in Sector 29-A, near Bal Shiv Mandir in Sector 29, the park near Tubewell in Palsora, EWS Maloya, EWS Dhanas, Burail, Kajheri, River Road near Ram Sharnam Temple in Khudda Lahora, Khudda Lahora Part 2, Amrit Sarovar in Kaimbwala, Amrit Sarovar in Khudda Alisher, Kishangarh, Colony in Sector 25 and Shivalik Park in Manimajra.
The expansion has also been accompanied by an increase in the civic body’s budget for the festival. The initial proposal of ₹35 lakh was increased by an additional ₹15 lakh, taking the final allocation to ₹50 lakh. The additional amount was sanctioned following the mayor’s intervention. The enhanced allocation is intended to facilitate better arrangements, including temporary ghats, water supply, sanitation, lighting, tents, decorations and other essential facilities for devotees.
On whether the ₹50-lakh allocation—cleared by the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) on October 30—will cover all 26 venues, municipal commissioner Amit Kumar said the panel will examine the funding, though a location-wise breakup remains unconfirmed. Regarding permanent Chhath ghats, Kumar stated the MC remains open to building permanent infrastructure in the future if resident demand warrants it.
The civic body would remain open to working on the proposal as requirements emerged, he indicated.