Day 3; Chhath Proceedings Peaceful
Patna: Nov. 16, 2007
|
Day 3; Chhath
|
|
Photo by Shashi Uttam |
|
|
On the third day of the 4-day Chhath festival, Bihar's most revered and rigorous religious event, men, women, and children of all ages from all corners of Bihar took a dip in the Holy Ganges and offered prayers to the setting sun while camping by the bank of the river to prepare for the Saturday morning 'arghya' bringing the festival to a peaceful end.
Heavy crowd was seen at all Patna ghats despite warnings issued by the district administration to stay away from some places due to unsafe condition of those ghats.
Despite low temperature, devotees were seen outside their camps using clay stoves with mango-tree woods to cook Chhath 'prasad' and other items associated with the festival.
While private boats have been banned from plying in the river during the entire festivity period to avoid any accident, security officials and expert divers were seen surveying the ghats from their high-powered boats to prevent any tragedy from taking place.
Patna District Magistrate Dr. B. Rajendra said nearly 3 dozen doctors and 130 para-medical experts equipped with a dozen ambulances were working round-the-clock to ensure help was quickly available in case of any medical emergency.
Meanwhile, at the Lalu-Rabri household on 10 Circular Road, the former Chief Minister Rabri Devi offered 'arghya' in their makeshift pond filled with Ganga water in the presence of the Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, their children, other family members, and a host of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders and supporters.
|
