This cosmic morning

Ghats echo with Chhath prayers

Vijay Deo Jha/Richa Ojha, Ranchi Thursday, November 6, 2008

The dawn of the day was a cosmic moment for the devotees when the Sun begun its precipitous ascends in the eastern horizon, and the distant sky was flaming orange like saffron scattered on the heaving rivers, lakes and ponds.

It marked the advent of the final day of four-day-long Chhath Puja when devotees assembled on the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds of the town and offered arghya to the God Sun with folded hand and bowed head. They offered wheat, milk, sugarcanes, bananas and coconuts to the Sun as part of the ritual for divine blessings.

The devotees included 80-year-old Yamuna Devi, who concluded 45 years of worship without fail and Abhaylal Kishore, who travelled a distance of five kilometres all his way prostrating.

Cutting across the caste and creed, millions of devotees; mostly women, took a dip in rivers and ponds for a holy bath in nearly 43 water bodies across Ranchi and offered their prayer to the rising Sun hoping for god's bounty. At some places people celebrated the festival while digging small tanks within the premises of their house.

Chhath Puja was celebrated at different water bodies in the town --- Kanke Dam, Line Tank, Rukka Dam, Bada Talab, Karamtoli pond, Jail Talab, Bariatu Housing Colony Talab, Argoda besides river Swarenrekha where devotees prominently participated in the festival. The Chhath festival was celebrated at the famous Surya temple, Bundu where devotees offered special prayer to Sun God.

But the river Harmu remained desolated more or less owing to its advanced stage of pollution resisting a good number of people from sinking themselves in stinking water for prayer. At Kishorgang the residents offered their prayer in the small tank specially dug for this purposes. There were some other people also who faraway from the bustling ghats of water bodies celebrated Chhath on their rooftop and preemies with equal notes of devotion.

Devotees, who started thronging at river and pond sides from early in the morning attired in new colourful clothes, presented a panoramic conglomeration of religious devotion and festivity. Added with it was the Chhath related sonorous folksongs: Dinanath ho Kahio Ne Sukhai Ankhik Nor…Kahiya Puraibai Assa more, which showed the devoutness of the people at its best display.

People and devotees who turned festive with the offering of evening Arghya to descending Sun on Tuesday refused to sleep whole night as they could been seen busy in bedecking the ghats and illuminating it with lights.

Before the break of day the ecstatic mass with loads bamboo strewed baskets on their head surged on the roads trudging their ways to different water bodies.

Different puja organisations and the wings of district administration had made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival. The electricity department was specially instructed to ensure the smooth supply of electricity. Stalls and tents were erected to welcome the devotees.