Ahmedabad, Oct 27 (PTI) Rivers, lakes, and specially prepared artificial ponds have been decked up across Gujarat to welcome North Indian devotees residing in the state for the Chhath Puja celebrations,
organisers said on Monday.
A special "ghat" prepared along the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad has been decorated to welcome around 10,000 devotees to offer prayers. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is also likely to attend the event on Monday evening, local organiser Lalit Jha said.
"The then chief minister Vijay Rupani dedicated a part of the riverfront for the Chhath festival in 2019, but devotees have been coming to this part of the river since 1995. We expect around 10,000 devotees here, with Chief Minister Patel also expected to attend the celebration," said Jha, who is associated with the 'Chhath Mahaparv Organisation Committee' at the Sabarmati Riverfront.
Jha said nearly 50,000 devotees are likely to offer prayers to the Sun God across six mass venues prepared for the occasion at the Sabarmati river and different lakes in Ahmedabad.
Chhath Puja, a four-day festival dedicated to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, is being celebrated in many parts of the country. It will conclude on October 28.
Even though the rains affected preparations, especially along the Tapi river in Surat, where water overflow caused disruptions, local administration and organisers have made efforts to ensure things go on smoothly.
Elaborate preparations have been made along the Mahisagar river in Fajalpur locality of Vadodara, with over 20,000 devotees likely to offer prayers at just one venue, local organiser Jitendra Rai said.
"There are six to seven large-scale venues for the community Chhath Puja in Vadodara city alone. We started the trend in the late 90s, and today the festival is organised across different banks along the Mahisagar river and various lakes in the city," he said.
Apart from the Mahisagar river banks, devotees are also expected to gather in thousands near the lakes at Bapod, Harni and Kamlanagar localities, among others, said Rai, who is associated with the 'Hindi Vikas Manch' that represents north Indians residing in the region.
People from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and those hailing from regions in Odisha and West Bengal bordering Bihar also participate in the festivities in large numbers, taking the number of devotees in the city to over a lakh, he added.
In Surat, nearly 25 venues have been prepared to accommodate lakhs of devotees, even though many North Indians working in the city have gone to their home states for the Chhath Puja celebrations, said Banke Bihari Singh, who is associated with the local Bihar Vikas Mandal.
The Tapi overflow due to the release of water from Ukai dam in Surat has caused inundation on several parts of the river banks where preparations were made for the puja, he said.
"Chhath Puja along the Tapi river has been affected due to overflow in the river. For the first time in my more than four decades here, I have witnessed the event being affected as water has inundated the venues prepared by us. Nearly 40,000 people come here, but we have requested them to look for other venues due to the flooding," Singh said.
The local administrations have prepared artificial ponds in cities and towns across Gujarat for the convenience of devotees, the organisers said.
Political undertones were also visible at some venues in view of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.
Some banners with photographs of BJP leaders have been put up at the site of an artificial pond in Surat, prompting objections from local Congress leaders over the "politicisation" of the festival. PTI KA PD GK
