The four-day festival of Chhath Puja concluded on 28 October 2025 with the sacred ritual of Usha Arghya, where devotees offered prayers to the rising Sun across rivers, ponds and ghats nationwide.
In early dawn hours, hundreds of thousands of men and women stood immersed waist-deep in water bodies, chanting hymns and offering bamboo baskets filled with fruits, sugar-cane, thekua (a traditional sweet), rice and coconuts to the Sun God (Surya Dev) and Chhathi Maiyya. The festival had begun on 25 October with Nahay-Khay (holy bath and simple meal), followed by Kharna (second-day ritual), and Sandhya Arghya (evening offering) on the third day.
Major celebration hubs—such as the Hathi Ghat in Delhi’s ITO area and the ghats of Patna, Varanasi, Hyderabad and other cities—witnessed large-scale participation, elaborate lighting, security arrangements and community chanting.
In his message to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings to the devotees, praying for their health, prosperity and well-being as the festival came to a close.
Chhath Puja is rooted in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Nepal, but has grown in reach and resonance across India and beyond. The Usha Arghya ritual symbolise renewal, gratitude and hope, as the first rays of the Sun bring new beginnings.
