Chhath Puja 2023: Delhi government prepares over 900 Ghats to provide tents and lighting to devotees

Delhi Chief Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday said that more than 900 ghats have been prepared for the upcoming Chhath festival in the national capital.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday said that more than 900 ghats have been prepared for the upcoming Chhath festival in the national capital. The minister also said that the government will provide tents, light, sound and other facilities to the devotees. The four-day festival starts on November 17. During this occasion, the devotees fast and offer ‘arghya’ to the Sun God for the last two days.

“This year, the Delhi government has prepared more than 900 Chhath ghats. Provisions will be made for tent, light and sound for the devotees. We want the devotees to have a good experience,” he told PTI.

Everyone should joyfully offer ‘arghya’ to the Sun God and take blessings of Chhathi Maiya, he said. Chhath Puja is celebrated six days after Diwali and is mainly celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh by the residents of these states who have settled in other states or other countries.

While a large number of devotees living in Delhi-NCR flock to the banks of Yamuna every year to offer ‘arghya’, the pollution and foaming of the river often pose risks to them. Therefore, many families observe it in parks, gardens and other public places where temporary ‘ghats’ are prepared and water is filled for devotees to perform the rituals.

Bank remains close in these states due to Chhath Puja closure:

According to the Reserve of India (RBI), banks in a number of states will remain closed on Monday, November 20, 2023, on account of Surya Pashti Dala Chhath (Morning ardhya)/Chhath Puja. However, digital services such as UPI, Mobile Banking and Internet Banking will remain active during this period. On this day, Bihar and Jharkhand, both public and private sector banks, will be closed in celebration of Chhath Puja. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, banks across India will remain non-functional for a maximum of four days (these holidays include Sunday and second Saturday).

List of other public holidays in November 2023:

November 20 (Monday): Banks will remain closed during Chhath (Morning Arghya) celebrations in Bihar, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
November 23 (Thursday): Banks will remain closed according to Seng Kutsnem/Egaas-Bagwaal in Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
November 27 (Monday): The bank remains closed during the celebrations of Guru Nanak Jayanti/Karthika Purnima/Rahas Purnima in Tripura, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Hyderabad – Telangana, Rajasthan, Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh.
November 30 (Thursday): On the occasion of Kanakadasa Jayanthi, banks in Karnataka will remain closed.