Over 1,000 Yamuna ghats come alive as Delhi marks Chhath with fervour

Chief minister Rekha Gupta offered prayers at Vasudev Ghat near Kashmiri Gate, where she met families gathered for the festival

Thousands of devotees gathered on more than 1,000 ghats, canals and banks of the Yamuna in Delhi on Monday to celebrate the third day of Chhath Puja and worship the setting sun. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, who visited several ghats before concluding her day at Vasudev Ghat, said this was the first time the festival was being celebrated on such a grand scale in the Capital, reflecting the city’s cultural unity.

Chhath devotees perform rituals in the Yamuna at ITO Ghat on Monday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Gupta took a boat ride from Pushta to the Sports Complex, Ram Ghat and Shyam Ghat in Sonia Vihar, joining devotees at each site. In the final leg of her visit, she offered prayers at Vasudev Ghat near Kashmiri Gate, where she met families gathered for the festival. Many ghats featured cultural performances, folk songs and dances, with the active participation of MLAs, MPs and ministers.

“Today, while offering prayers to the setting sun on the banks of the Yamuna in Sonia Vihar, I wished that the light of happiness, prosperity and progress may always remain in the life of every Delhi resident. This festival is not just about faith, but a celebration of the discipline, devotion and folk culture that have made Delhi a symbol of unity in diversity and modernity in tradition,” Gupta said.

“Chhath Puja is not just a ritual, but a symbol of faith, discipline and gratitude toward nature. I wanted to celebrate this sacred festival with the people of my constituency, like one big family. That is the true spirit of our festivals,” said Verma, who attended the ceremony with his family.

From Palla to Kalindi Kunj, 17 model Chhath ghats were set up along the Yamuna, as the Delhi government once again allowed temporary facilities on the floodplains. Officials said the ghats were equipped with tents, lighting, sanitation, drinking water, toilets and medical assistance.

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Virendra Sachdeva joined the celebrations at Bapudham, Mangolpuri, while party MPs, MLAs, councillors and office bearers across Delhi marked the festival in their constituencies and extended greetings to the Purvanchal community. MP Manoj Tiwari visited Sonia Vihar Pushta, while South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri met devotees at ghats in Rajnagar, Kailashpuri Chowk (Sadhnagar Palam), Badarpur and Tughlakabad.

This year’s festivities were accompanied by political sparring over the use of a defoaming agent to reduce froth at Kalindi Kunj, where significantly lower levels were observed compared to previous years. With better coordination with the Haryana government, officials said a larger volume of fresh water was released into the Yamuna to flush out pollutants instead of diverting it to the eastern and western canals.

According to Central Water Commission (CWC) data, since last Tuesday little to no water had been diverted to either canal. The latest readings showed that from Sunday, canal flow increased from zero to 14.4 cumecs, rising further to 34.2 after two gates of the WJC canal were reopened.

With an estimated four million Purvanchali voters in Delhi, the community has grown into a major cultural and political force over the past decade. Public observance of Chhath — held six days after Diwali — has expanded proportionally, and the festival has often become a flashpoint between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP, each seeking to woo the sizable vote base.

With the Bihar polls on the horizon, political exchanges intensified this year. AAP accused the BJP government of using the same defoamer solutions it had earlier opposed while in the Opposition, flagged high faecal coliform levels in the Yamuna, and alleged that an “artificial” Vasudev Ghat had been created, disconnected from the river. On Monday, AAP’s Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj also criticised the Delhi government for not declaring the festival a dry day.