Chhath Puja celebrated in Pune

PUNE: Celebrated to honour the Sun God for peace and prosperity, the Chhath Puja was observed in the city on the Pavana Ghat in Chinchwad and along the riverbanks in Pimpri, Nigdi, Yerawada, Vimannagar and Warje Malwadi on Tuesday at sunset.
Held on the sixth day after Diwali, Chhath is performed by ladies over a three-day period. The women observe an austere fast over all the three days.Monday marked the first day. This was followed by a puja at sunset on Tuesday wherein, women with their heads covered, planted sugarcanes in the water close to the river banks.
"The women continue with the rituals through the night and perform the second and final puja at sunrise on Wednesday morning. A specially-prepared 'kheer,' 'fruit' and milk is offered to the Sun God," says homemaker, Poonam Gupta.
Observed during the Hindu month of Kartik, the puja is held to thank the Sun god for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. "The puja is an ardent prayer to both, the Sun God and Mother Earth. A lot of women consider this auspicious occasion as a way of asking for the granting of special prayers. Women even visit each other's homes for 'darshan' on the first and second days of the puja," says Manju Pandey.
The puja has an interesting legend behind it. "'Chhath,' for us, is an 'avataar' of the Mother Goddess. Legend has it that the puja originated in a village in northern India, as a result of massive floods that destroyed life to a great extent. Villagers got together to pray for a sunrise to provide a new lease of life to them. The wish was granted, and the Chhath Puja came into existence as a way of expressing one's gratitude toward the life-giving Sun God," says Vijay Gupta, working president of Hanuman Mitra Mandal in Chinchwad, which organised large-scale 'Chhath Puja' celebrations on Tuesday evening.
The festival is celebrated in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai and even Mauritius.
"Women in northern Indian have grown up being a part of this tradition. So, even if they can't attend a community 'Chhath Puja' along the river, they still hold fasts and do their own 'puja' at home," says Archan Mishra, who looks forward to this important event every year.
The ritual ends on the third day when the praying women offer 'arghha' or sweet dishes like 'gul poli' or 'puran poli' to the Brahmin priests attending the last puja along the river bank.