Ranchi: Lakhs of women and men across the state offered prayers to the rising Lord Surya. The devotees, who observed a rigorous fast of 36 hours, offered ‘Usha Arghya’ to the rising sun at various ghats in the state amidst devotional songs and firecrackers.
Earlier, devotees were seen carrying baskets filled with puja material to the ghats built on the banks of rivers and other water bodies. Odisha Governor Raghuvar Das along with his family members performed Surya Namaskar in Jamshedpur, while several MPs and MLAs from different political parties performed puja in their respective constituencies.
Devotees reached the ghats of rivers and reservoirs early in the morning and offered Arghya to the rising sun. The four-day festival began on November 17 with ‘Nahay Khay’, when devotees and their family members eat sattvic food after taking a bath.
A day after this, ‘Kharna’ takes place when ‘Prasad’ of rice kheer and roti is shared with family and friends. The festival concluded with offering Arghya to the rising sun on Monday morning. After which the devotees break their fast with fruits and ‘Thekua’. It is a matter of relief that no untoward incident has been reported from anywhere.
The security personnel helped the devotees complete the puja in the morning. On this occasion, reservoirs were cleaned all over Jharkhand. Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order) of Ranchi, Rajeshwar Nath Alok said that adequate security arrangements were ensured at all the Chhath Ghats of Ranchi.
An official statement said that entry of heavy vehicles has been banned in Ranchi from 8 am to 11 pm on Sunday and from 2 pm to 10 pm on Monday.