Lakhs Gather At Delhi Ghats To Conclude Chhath Puja; CM Rekha Gupta Attends; PM Modi To Later Join Devotees At Vasudev Ghat — VISUALS

New Delhi: Lakhs of devotees flocked ghats and artificial ponds across the national capital on Tuesday, October 28, to celebrate Chhath Puja, the four-day festival dedicated to the Sun god.

The Delhi government had prepared more than 1,300 ghats, including 17 along the Yamuna river, to accommodate the large gatherings, which concluded on Tuesday morning with the ‘Usha Arghya’ offered to the rising Sun.

From Sonia Vihar Pusta to Hathi Ghat near ITO, crowds gathered in the early hours with baskets of fruits, sugarcane and earthen lamps to perform rituals amid chants and hymns.

Many devotees stayed overnight by the riverbanks, spreading mats and blankets to participate in the concluding prayers at dawn. Several cultural programmes, music performances and fireworks marked the festivities at major ghats.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta participated in the evening ‘Sandhya Arghya’ at Sonia Vihar on Monday and again joined the morning rituals at Hathi Ghat on Tuesday.

Speaking to IANS, she said she felt “fortunate to be part of the sacred festival” and prayed for Delhi’s prosperity and collective well-being. “The splendour, grandness and divinity of Chhath being celebrated now is providing succour to the people of Delhi,” she said.

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Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also attended the festivities. He said that the sight of thousands performing Chhath along the Yamuna reflected “what was once unimaginable,” crediting the CM Gupta's “faith” for the river’s renewed state.

According to reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to visit Vasudev Ghat in north Delhi for prayers later on Tuesday, where a separate water pool has been created for the occasion.

The celebrations this year were marked by cleaner water at the Yamuna ghats. Data from the Central Water Commission showed that the Haryana government had released nearly the entire flow from the Hathnikund Barrage into the Yamuna from October 21, which improved the river’s quality in the Delhi stretch. The water release was reduced gradually from Sunday evening as the festival neared its conclusion.

While most devotees expressed satisfaction with the arrangements, some political exchanges accompanied the celebrations. The Aam Aadmi Party criticised the administration for keeping liquor shops open during the festival, calling it an “insult to Purvanchali faith”. The party also accused the BJP of creating a “fake” Yamuna for the Prime Minister’s visit.

For the Purvanchali community, which forms a significant part of Delhi’s population, the Chhath festivities carried deep cultural importance. With better facilities, improved water quality and heightened participation, this year’s celebration marked one of the city’s largest and most organised Chhath Puja observances in recent years.