Chhath puja: Festive fervour grips Gorakhpur

For the convenience of devotees, the municipal corporation launched a special sanitation drive to clean the areas around the water bodies.

Prominently celebrated across eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, the Chhath puja fervour is now gripping the residents here. The city markets are all decked up with the essential items required for the puja to begin from October 28.

Chhath is a four-day festival which begins four days after Diwali. (PTI Photo)

For the convenience of devotees, the municipal corporation launched a special sanitation drive to clean the areas around the water bodies. Municipal commissioner Avinash Kumar Singh held a meeting with the officials at Gorakhpur Nagar Nigam conference hall and deployed officials concerned to carry on with special duties.

Assistant municipal commissioner Durgesh Mishra said that special arrangements have been made to install lights around the ponds and water bodies. He said that during Chhath, a large number of people gather at the ghats.

Chhath is a four-day festival which begins four days after Diwali. It begins with ‘Nahay’ and ‘Khay’ when devotees take bath and wear clean clothes. On second day of ‘Kharna’, the devotees keep fast. This is followed by fasting women presenting araghya to the setting sun while standing in knee-deep water to seek blessings of Chhath Maiya.

On the last day of Chhath puja, the devotees again assemble on the banks of rivers or any water body and then offer prayers and prasad to the rising sun. After the offerings, the devotees break their fast.