Thousands of devotees offered prayers on Sunday at over 1,000 artificial ponds created by the Delhi government for Chhath Puja, a day before the four-day festival is to culminate with a ritual bath and prayers to Sun god.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited an artificial pond in his constituency New Delhi and interacted with people.
Earlier in the day, he greeted people through a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Best wishes to all of you on Chhath Puja, the great festival of worshipping Lord Surya and faith. May Chhathi Maiya keep you all healthy, happy, prosperous and fulfil all your wishes,” he said.
The Delhi government has created the artificial ponds as the High Court had banned the celebrations on the Yamuna banks in the city in 2021, citing river pollution.
Priyanka Singh, 24, who offered prayers at the puja spot in the ITO area, expressed satisfaction with the arrangements.
“This arrangement is better than allowing people to take a dip in the river. People pollute the river, which is not safe for children and causes skin problems. The pollution is killing us anyway. The river water carries toxins released by several chemical factories into it,” she said.
A native of Darbhanga in Bihar, 25-year-old Deepakshi said she has been attending the Chhath Puja celebrations in Delhi for the past eight to nine years.
“The government here has created temporary waterbodies so that we don’t pollute the river. It is an important change. However, despite the ban (on the offering of prayers on the Yamuna banks), people can be seen throwing puja items in the river,” said the Paharganj resident, who lives with her two children and husband.
Shashi, a 28-year-old resident of Madanpur Khadar, had planned to go back to her native place in Sultanpur of U.P.. However, she couldn’t manage the get a train ticket.
“Despite the government providing us with alternatives, it feels something is missing,” she said.
‘Dip in river a must’
Meanwhile, the authorities said over 2,000 people visited the Yamuna banks on the Uttar Pradesh side in the Kalindi Kunj area to offer prayers.
Savita Singh, 52, a resident of Noida, came to Kalindi Kunj in a tempo along with her 10 family members. Though she acknowledged that pollution levels have gone up, she said, “It is important to take a dip in the holy Yamuna, while maintaining all safety guidelines.”
At Kalindi Kunj, devotees danced to the tunes of Bhojpuri songs played on speakers. Many were seen bursting crackers.
Chhath Puja began on November 17. During the festival, devotees fast and gather on the banks of rivers and ponds to offer prayers to Sun god. The festival is celebrated by the Purvanchali community — Bhojpuri-speaking people from eastern U.P., Bihar, and parts of Jharkhand.
