CHANDIGARH, Oct 28— The four-day Chhath festival concluded on Tuesday morning with devotees offering “Usha Arghya” to the rising sun, marking the end of a 36-hour fast.
From early morning, large crowds gathered at artificial ghats built across Chandigarh’s Sector 42 and Kharar, where the devout stood waist-deep in cold water, praying for the well-being of their families. Fireworks lit up the sky as the festival reached its final moments.
“Even though the weather was cold, our faith kept us warm,” said one devotee at Sector 42 lake, adding that she had been fasting for two days.
The festival, which began on October 25 with a ritual bath, saw significant participation across the Tricity region and Punjab’s major cities, including Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Local leaders were also seen joining the devotees at several ghats.
In Mohali and Kharar, temporary ponds were set up for the rituals, including one at the Dussehra ground in Kharar where families gathered late into the night. Similar scenes of devotion were witnessed across Punjab as the faithful offered prayers to the Sun God to mark the festival’s culmination.
