During Chhath, the main ghats of Biratnagar - Singhiya, Keshaliya, Milanchowk, Trimurti, and the canals and ponds - become centers of worship. As evening falls, the ghats are illuminated with lamps and rangolis.
What you should know
Biratnagar, the country's 'industrial capital', transforms into a religious capital for four days a year. As the songs of 'Chhath Maiya' resonate throughout the city, lamps are lit from river to canal. Women go out to the ghats to offer prayers to the sun, fasting.
‘Chhath is not a festival, it is a celebration of faith, tolerance and labor,’ said Raghupati Lal Yadav, a local who was met at Singhiya Khola. ‘This tradition of worshipping the setting sun and expressing gratitude to nature by offering arghya to the rising sun has been rooted in Biratnagar as a ritual for years.’
During the four days of Chhath, the main ghats of Biratnagar – Singhiya, Keshaliya, Milan Chowk, Trimurti, canals and ponds – become centers of faith. As evening falls, those ghats are illuminated with lamps and rangoli.
The youth of the city have come together as volunteers. The police, scouts and members of the Chhath committee are engaged in security and cleanliness. Women decorate earthen pots with incense, lamps and fruits.
The banks of Singhiya Khola have become colorful on Monday evening. The scene reflected in the water with the light of thousands of lamps is very exciting. ‘This is why the residents of Biratnagar feel the union of faith and beauty,’ said local Ramwati Rajbanshi.
Fasting body, unwavering mind
The main actors of Chhath are the fasting women. They follow strict rules for four days. The first day is ‘Nahaykhay’, the second day is ‘Kharna’, the third day is ‘Sandhya Arghya’ and the last day is ‘Usha Arghya’.
On the day of Kharna, the fasting people prepare a kheer of sugar, rice and milk and offer it to the sun, and from the next day they remain waterless. For three days, there is no water, no food, only devotion.
Meena Devi, a 45-year-old fasting person from Biratnagar, said, ‘Chhath Maiya is the basis of our life.’ We forget hunger and fatigue, because there is faith in our hearts.'
Bhajans, folk songs and musical nights
Biratnagar's Chhath evening is truly enchanting. Folk songs are sung on the ghats and in the villages and toll booths, songs like 'Kanch hi baans ke bahangiya, bahangiya lachakat jaye', 'Chhath maiya aayi gaon mein' fill the hearts of the devotees with energy.
Local committees also organize traditional plays and dances. In recent years, the younger generation has started presenting modern forms of bhajans through bands and sound systems.
Such a mix has made Biratnagar's Chhath a confluence of tradition and modernity.
Chhath erases the differences between religion, caste and class in Biratnagar. Hindus, Muslims, Madhesi-Hill people are all seen in the same row on the ghats. The sun belongs to everyone, faith is common to everyone.
