Chhath Puja Jala Utsav in Gangetic Plains
Annapoorni V V1
1Research Assistant, Samskruti Foundation
annapoornivv.sf@gmail.com
The Jala-utsavs of Bharat not only signifies the importance of water, but also signifies all other pancabhutas. This article deals with the Chhath puja which was a Bihari festival, presently, celebrated in the eastern states of Bharat such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and in Nepal [1]. Chhath puja is a thanksgiving festival to Sun through the water offerings (arghya).
Chhath puja, also called Surya Shasthti, is celebrated on Karttika Shukla-Shasthi or the 6th day of light-half, October-November (Singh, 2010). It is dedicated to the Surya Goddess to express gratitude towards the sun rays which are essential for sustaining life on earth. Chhath puja spans for four days where the rituals are performed in and around water bodies like rivers, lakes, ponds and others. On the first day of Chhath puja, devotees will take a holy dip known as ‘Nahay Khay’ in rivers like Ganga and Yamuna, lakes, and ponds (Badikilaya, G). Nahay means taking a bath or dip in river water and Khay means eating. The Prasadam for this first day is rice porridge. On the second day, devotees exclusively married Hindu women from the Bhojpur region of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh offer water (arghya) to the setting and rising sun for good health, wealth and prosperity (Singh, 2010). They observe a day-long fast without water (nirjala) and the fast will continue for 36 hours. In the evening on the third day, the whole family accompanies the devotee to the river bank. They offer water to the setting sun known as sandhya arghya. They complete their fasting by taking ginger and sugar. On the fourth day, devotees give offerings to the rising sun which is known as ‘usha arghya’.
In this utsav, sun is worshipped as Goddess ‘Chhathi Mai’ who is considered to be Shakti, or in liquid form. While performing sandhya arghya, lamps are kept under the canopy of five sugarcane sticks signifying the panca mahabhutas such as earth, water, fire, air, and ether representing the primal source of human existence (Badikilaya, G). Chhath pooja is highly significant as it emphasizes the connection among pancabhutas and human beings.
These utsavs of Bharat rejuvenates the mind of the human beings to think about the connection between pancabhutas and the living beings. Thus, they encourage people to take significant action against the atrocities that lead to imbalance in the co-existence of panca bhutas and human beings.
Notes
[1] Singh (2010), Badikilaya (n.d.)
References
- Badikilaya, G. (n.d.). Chhath puja - a study in religious and cultural tourism. Atna Journal of Tourism Studies. http://dx.doi.org/10.12727/ajts.22.5
- Singh, Rana P.B. (2010). The Sun goddess festival, ‘Chhatha’, in Bhojpur Region, India: an Ethnogeography of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Asiatica Ambrosiana [Accademia Ambrosiana, Milano, Italy], vol. II, October: pp. 59-80.
