LUCKNOW: The banks of the Gomti turned into a canvas for colours as thousands of devotees flocked to the riverside to offer ‘arghya’ (obeisance) to the sun god for Chhath puja on Tuesday evening.Primarily celebrated in Bihar, Chhath has become popular in the city due to migration and inter-mingling of cultures.As the sun sank towards the horizon on a dusty evening, women dressed in glittering red and yellow saris turned towards the mellow orange orb. They carefully set sail flickering earthen lamps into the Gomti from their decorated thalis, standing in knee-deep water, and prayed for the wellbeing and prosperity of their family.“We sang devotional Chhath songs while decorating the ‘vedis’ (the clay structure with steps) with colours and lamps. A number of families from our neighbourhood have come together,” said Asha Singh Kushwaha, who has been coming to Laxman Mela ground for eight years.While women occupied the front row of the ghat, the atmosphere reverberated with a religious and festive mood as Bhojpuri artists sang traditional songs and young girls danced on ‘dhol’ beats and burst crackers.Even those who were not fasting were joyfully participating in the ceremonies.“It is not easy to fast for 36 hours because of work but my mother-in-law has been performing the puja. It is a beautiful experience to just come here and feel the devotion,” said Roopak Singh. The puja had no dearth of male participants either. “Ideally, the puja is for married women but this year, I could not visit my family in Bihar so I decided to fast and observe the festival just as my parents have been doing at home,” said Himanshu Yadav, a bank employee.“Over 1 lakh people performed the first ‘arghya’ and several devotees who have come from distant areas have planned to spend the night here. They will be here for the concluding ritual, the second ‘arghya’, on Wednesday morning,” said a spokesperson of Akhil Bhartiya Bhojpuri Samaj.

Stay updated with all the Lucknow Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.