Patna (Bihar) [India], November 15 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Nitin Nabin observed the third day of Chhath Puja in Patna on Sunday and offered the traditional Sandhya Arghya to the setting sun from his residence, stating that Bihar stands at the forefront of honouring nature.
Marking the evening rituals dedicated to Chhathi Maiya and Lord Bhaskar, Nabin detailed the ongoing observance and the schedule for the final leg of the festival, emphasising the duality of the traditional worship cycle.
“Today, we have offered our salutations to Chhathi Maiya and Lord Bhaskar (the Sun God) as the sun sets. Tomorrow morning, with the rising of the Sun God, we will offer the second arghya. It is our tradition to pay homage to both the setting sun and the rising sun,” Nabin told reporters.
The multi-day festival, renowned for its rigorous physical discipline, purity, and environmental devotion, is celebrated widely across the country and across the seas.
Highlighting its deep-rooted cultural stature and principles of nature worship, Nabin said, “This grand festival, a cornerstone of Bihar’s culture and a testament to the deep-rooted folk faith of its people, is being celebrated with great fervour across Bihar, throughout India, and indeed, wherever the people of Bihar reside across the globe. Characterised by an emphasis on cleanliness, purity, and discipline, this festival perhaps represents the most profound form of nature worship.”
Underlining the heritage that binds the community to its customs, Nabin further stressed that the festival exemplifies humanity’s harmonious relationship with the environment through elements like water and light.
“Through the veneration of the Sun God and the sacred river Ganga, Bihar stands at the forefront of honouring nature. Today, we can truly say that our culture, our customs, and our traditions fill us with a deep sense of pride,” Nitin Nabin said.
Meanwhile, the sweet aroma of freshly prepared thekua is filling households across Patna as devotees gear up for Sandhya Arghya, one of the most significant rituals of the four-day Chhath Puja festival, on Sunday.
With preparations underway across Bihar, families are busy preparing traditional offerings and observing age-old rituals dedicated to Surya Dev (Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya.
The festival is celebrated with prayers, fasting and offerings to the setting and rising Sun, seeking blessings for the health, prosperity and well-being of families.
Thekua, a traditional wheat-based sweet, holds special significance during Chhath Puja and is an essential offering made by devotees. Prepared in households using traditional methods, the prasad is offered to the Sun God during the festival’s rituals.
Devotees will gather along riverbanks, ponds and other water bodies across Bihar and other parts of the country on Sunday evening to perform Sandhya Arghya, offering prayers and water to the setting Sun.
The celebrations will continue on Monday, November 16, with Usha Arghya, when devotees will offer prayers to the rising Sun at dawn. The ritual will be followed by Parana, marking the conclusion of the rigorous fast.
As Bihar prepares for the evening rituals, President Droupadi Murmu extended her greetings and best wishes to citizens in India and abroad on the occasion of Chhath Puja, highlighting the festival’s spiritual significance and its message of environmental conservation.
In a message shared on the official X handle of the President of India, she highlighted the festival’s spiritual significance and its association with nature and environmental responsibility.
“On the auspicious occasion of Chhath, the festival of faith and Sun worship, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all Indians living in India and abroad. This festival symbolises deep reverence for Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya,” she said.
Dedicated to the worship of Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya, Chhath Puja is among the most significant festivals in Bihar and is also widely celebrated in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country.
The four-day festival began on November 13 with Nahay Khay, the first ritual, during which devotees take a holy bath and prepare a traditional meal. It was followed by Kharna on November 14, when devotees observe a day-long fast and break it after sunset following prayers and offerings of prasad. After Kharna, devotees undertake a rigorous fast lasting approximately 36 hours without food or water.
On November 15, devotees observe Sandhya Arghya, gathering at riverbanks, ponds and other water bodies to offer prayers to the setting Sun.
The festival will conclude on November 16 with Usha Arghya, followed by Parana, marking the completion of the fast.
The festival symbolises purity, devotion, discipline and gratitude towards nature, with devotees seeking divine blessings for the happiness, good health and prosperity of their families. (ANI)
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