The Story of Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is observed on the Shashthi (sixth day) of the waxing moon in Kartik, six days after Diwali. It lasts four days: 'Nahay-Khay' on the first, 'Kharna' on the second (jaggery kheer and roti), an arghya to the setting sun on the third evening, and an arghya to the rising sun on the fourth morning. Devotees keep a waterless fast of about thirty-six hours and, standing in a river or pond, offer winnowing baskets filled with thekua, fruit and sugarcane. Chhath folk songs echo across the ghats.

Chhathi Maiya is also called Shashthi Devi. Her story is told in the Brahma Vaivarta Puran. King Priyavrat, son of Swayambhuva Manu, and his queen Malini had no children. Maharishi Kashyap performed a yagya for them, and the queen bore a son, but the child was born lifeless.

Grief-stricken, the king carried the child to the cremation ground and was ready to give up his own life. Just then a divine chariot came down from the sky with a radiant goddess in it. She said, 'I am Devasena, born from Brahma's mind, the goddess Shashthi. I protect children.'

The goddess lifted the lifeless baby, and he came alive and began to cry. She told the king to worship her and to inspire others to do so too. The king joyfully worshipped her, and from then on Shashthi Devi came to be worshipped as the mother who protects children.

Folk tradition links other stories of Sun worship to Chhath. In the Mahabharat, Karna, son of Surya, stood in water for hours every day offering arghya to the Sun. Popular belief also holds that Draupadi during the exile, and Mata Sita after returning from Lanka, kept the Chhath vrat. That is why in Chhath both the setting and the rising sun are honoured.