Chhath concludes with morning ‘arghya’

PATNA: The four-day Chhath Puja concluded with the devotees offering morning ‘arghya’ to the Sun God on Thursday. A sea of devotees descended on the banks of Ganga river, ponds, lakes and other artificial water bodies across the city and state to pay obeisance to the rising Sun .
The city wore a festive look during the four-day celebration. Traditional Chhath songs resonated in every nook and corner of the city and at several ghats where devotees thronged to perform the rituals.
Deepshikha Shrivastava, a resident of Bahadurpur, said her entire family took part in this celebration.“We reached the ghat around 4am as it is very important to offer milk and water to the rising Sun at the correct time,” she said.
Arti Jaiswal, who offered ‘arghya’ at the Krishna Ghat, said, “I break my fast with green ginger tea after offering prayer to the Sun God,” she said.
Manju Devi of Rajendra Nagar road number 12 said, “After ‘arghya’, I had sherbat mixed with lemon, ginger and honey to break my fast.”
The district administration and other officials concerned remain vigilant throughout the festival.
Patna divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal and DM Chandrashekhar Singh were facilitated with tika and prasad by the Chhath-vratis at Gandhi Ghat and Law College Ghat on Thursday during their inspection of ghats.
Priyanka Sinha of SK Puri said she performed all the rituals at home as her mother-in-law was not fit to accompany her to the ghat. “It was the second time that I observed Chhath Puja. My mother-in-law guided me through all the rituals,” she said.
Anupam Kumar, who also fast with her wife, said, “We offered ‘arghya’ at Kachi Talab as it was close to our home.”