The
Union Information & Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar, and the
Minister of Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, has on Friday wished the
people on the occasion of Chhath Puja.
“Hearty greetings to all of you on the
auspicious occasion of Mahaparva Chhath Puja of Surya worship”, Javadekar said
through his Twitter handle. Naqqvi, on the hand said, “My greetings to all of
you on the auspicious occasion of Chhath Puja Mahaparva”. The four-day mega festival
that started on November 18, 2020 will end on Saturday with devotees offering
their prayers to the rising Sun.
This is the third day of Chhath
Mahaparva, today, when the devotees are supposed to offer Arghya (offerings
water) to the setting Sun God will be made to the setting Sun this evening.
This is termed as 'Sandhya Arghya'. While the offerings to the rising Sun are
made in many fasts and festivals, but it only during Chhath that the setting
sun is worshipped. Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival historically
native to the Indian subcontinent, more specifically, the Indian states of
Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and the Madhesh region of Nepal. The Chhath
Puja is dedicated to the solar deity Surya and Shashthi devi (Chhathi Maiya) in
order to thank them for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request
the granting of certain wishes.
The festival does not involve idolatry
and is dedicated to worship the Chhathi Maiya (Shashthi Mata) and sun God Surya
along with his consorts Usha and Pratyusha the Vedic Goddess of Dawn and Dusk
respectively. It is believed that the main sources of Sun's powers are his
wives Usha and Pratyusha.