Overview
- The four‑day Chhath Puja began with Nahay Khay on November 13, when thousands of devotees took ritual baths and gathered at river ghats, with particularly large crowds at Patna’s Digha Patipul Ghat.
- Day two, Kharna, is being observed on November 14 with devotees preparing and breaking the daytime fast after sunset using Kharna prasad such as jaggery kheer, roti, banana and dry fruits before starting the 36‑hour nirjala (waterless) fast.
- Patna authorities have inspected and readied ghats and parks for the festival, declaring 90 of 103 ghats safe and installing changing rooms, barricades and floodlit towers to help with crowd control and safety.
- Muhurat times for the key rites have been published for city-specific planning, for example Sandhya Arghya in Patna is scheduled at 5:01 PM IST on November 15 and Usha Arghya at 6:07 AM IST on November 16.
- Chhath’s rituals centre on purity, fasting and direct offerings to the setting and rising Sun and they drive local markets, volunteer mobilization and large family reunions across Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Indian cities with migrant communities.