GUWAHATI, Oct 26 - Thousands paid obeisance to the setting sun on the banks of rivers and ponds across Assam on the occasion of the Chhath Puja today. The festival was celebrated with much fanfare and religious fervour in the State along with several other parts of the country.
The Chhath Puja or the Surya Shasti is dedicated to the �Sun God� where the devotees observe rigorous fasting and perform rituals over a span of four days and throng the banks of rivers and ponds to offer prayers to the rising and setting Sun on the last two days of the festival.
The festival would culminate in the wee hours tomorrow, when the devotees would offer Usha Arghya to the rising Sun and break their fast with the prasad offered to the deity.
The puja mainly observed by the people of Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh is now celebrated in almost every State in northern and eastern India. In Assam also, the festival is celebrated with much religious fervour with people of all the castes and communities thronging the river ghats either to offer puja or as onlookers.
The Chhath Puja is being celebrated several locations in Guwahati, where people offer prayer on the bank of the Brahmaputra. Elaborate preparations have been done by the organisers, different NGOs and also the district administration.
�We have installed 18 CCTV cameras from Fancy Bazar to Machkhowa Ghat to ensure a thorough vigil on the two days of the festival. Along with 85 volunteers from NCC and scouts, our members and volunteers numbering almost 100 are assisting the devotees on the ghats,� said Suraj Tiwari of the Yuva Bharatiya Sangha which has been organising the fest at the location since 1983.
Another organisation Purvottar Hindustani Yuvak Samaj has made arrangements for organising the puja at the Sukreswar Temple ghat.
�Cleaning the riverbanks before and after the ritual is our main focus area along with looking after the hassle-free movement of devotees,� said Devinder Singh of the Yuvak Samaj. The organisation has been organising the puja in Guwahati since 1972.
The district administration has also issued instructions to clean the ghats within 24 hours of the fest.
Surya Gold Cement, a popular cement brand in the north-east; the Dainik Purvoday, a leading Hindi daily; Digital News Media TIME8 and the Yuva Bhartiya Sangha have installed a gigantic artificial sun on the bank of the Brahmaputra on the occasion of Chhath Puja. Around 200 halogen lights have been assembled on a large bamboo structure in circular shape resembling the light source glowing with hope and optimism about a high-tech and sustainable future. The artificial Sun was today inaugurated by Assam State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass in the presence of a large number of devotees just before the evening Arghya. Later, Kamrup (Metro) DC Dr M Angamuthu also attended the occasion.
ANN Service from Jorabat adds: Along with the other parts of the State, the Chhath Puja was celebrated in Jorabat with great enthusiasm.
Devotees here offered offerings to the setting Sun at the ghat of the Jorabat Bhadrakaleshwari Mandir.
The Chhath Puja here was organised in a grand manner by the Jorabat Chhath Puja Seva Samiti.