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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Chhath Puja

The Chhath Puja is performed in order to thank  Sun God, Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes.
The Sun, considered the god of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress.
In Hinduism, Sun worship is believed to help cure a variety of diseases and helps ensure the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends, and elders .
The rituals of the festival are rigorous and are observed over a period of four days. They include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prashad(prayer offerings) and aragh to the setting and rising sun.

Chhath Puja is observed most elaborately in Bihar,Jharkhand,Eastern UP .Chhath puja is performed on kartika Shukala Shashti, which is the 6th day of the month of Kartika in the Hindu Calendar.


Devotees perform rituals at River Tawi dduring the Chhath festival in Jammu




 Devotees perform rituals at sunset during the Chhath Puja festival in New Delhi





 Former Indian Railways Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party president Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi offer prayers to the Sun god on the occasion of the festival of Chhath

 Devotees offer prayers to the Sun God while standing in water on Chhath Puja festival in New Delhi
Devotees take part in worship on the banks of the River Ganges river during Chhath festival  in Patna




Devotees hold an offering to the Sun God  at the Bagmati River during the Chhath festival in Katmandu
 



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