Patna, Oct 27 (PTI) Elaborate arrangements have been made by the Bihar government across the state for the third day of the Chhath Puja festivities on Monday, officials said.
The devotees will worship Goddess ‘Chhathi Maiya’ by offering prayers or ‘Arghya’ to the setting sun on Monday. Millions of devotees are expected to offer prayers at various ghats of the holy Ganga and other water bodies in Patna and other parts of the state in the evening.
The second ‘Arghya’ will be offered to the rising sun on Tuesday morning, marking the culmination of the four-day festival.
The Patna district administration has made elaborate security arrangements at more than 102 ghats along the Ganga, 45 parks and 63 ponds here to avert any untoward incident during Chhath, Bihar’s biggest festival, officials said.
Besides, 205 magistrates, personnel guarding 171 watch towers, 103 medical camps, 23 teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and NDRF, 444 swimmers, 323 boats and 143 volunteers of Civil Defence have also been engaged in Patna district for smooth Chhath Puja celebrations, they said.
“All ghats are ready for the Chhath Puja festival. Adequate arrangements for Chhath Puja have been made in Patna. All permanent ghats are connected to the riverfront, ensuring that devotees do not face any inconvenience reaching there.
“We have also issued advisories that visitors and devotees must follow. Officials have also been directed to ensure that devotees face no inconvenience. There are six dangerous and seven unfit ghats which people have been advised not to visit,” the official said.
A large number of additional security forces have been deployed in the state capital to manage crowds and avoid any untoward incidents, he said.
The office of the Bihar chief electoral officer (CEO), meanwhile, has also launched an awareness campaign through steamers along the Ganga ghats in Patna urging voters to cast their votes on the day of polling in the state.
Chhath Puja is also being celebrated at the residences of several politicians in the state capital.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results set to be announced on November 14.
The four-day festivities began on October 25 with the ‘Nahai Khai’ ritual and will conclude on October 28. It is observed on the sixth day of Kartik Shukla and six days after Diwali. On this day, worshippers honour ‘Chhathi Maiya’, the Sun God, and seek their blessings and prosperity for their families and children.
Day one of the festival is called Nahai Khai, which begins with devotees taking the holy dip in the Ganga, and other rivers and ponds.
The next day, devotees observe a full-day fast, which is completed in the evening after praying to the sun and the moon during sunset.
The third day is called ‘Pehla Arghya’ or ‘Sandhya Arghya’. The devotees and their families go to the river bank and offer prasad and ‘Argya’ to the Sun God. The festival concludes with devotees offering prayers to the rising sun on the fourth day. PTI PKD ACD
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