Guwahati: Chhath Puja festivities have commenced, bringing a wave of devotional fervour and celebration. Local marketplaces are bustling with essential items, including fresh produce necessary for the ceremonies. Despite elevated prices of fruits and vegetables, devotees are actively purchasing the required items.
This festival, honouring the Sun God and Chhathi Maiyya (goddess of fertility), encompasses various ceremonial practices including Nahakkha, marking the festival’s commencement, followed by Kharna, Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya. Participants observe strict fasting protocols and consume only vegetarian fare during this period.
“During the ritual, a variety of items are required. On Nahakkha, people eat only vegetarian meals. Then comes Kharna, during which people fast until the puja and break their fast once it is completed. On the third day, people gather at the ghats for the puja with the required items, observing a full-day fast without any food and water, and if you start counting, there are more than 300 items required for the puja,” says Ravi Kumar, a customer.
Essential puja items include ‘tukri’, available in various sizes, with larger ones priced between Rs 150-200 and smaller variants at Rs 50-60. Dagra costs similarly at Rs 150-200, while ‘supa’ is priced between Rs 70-90. Additional items like kerao, sathi chawal, peepa sindur, and agarpaat are available for Rs 10-15, with baddhi costing Rs 3 per unit.
Vendors are offering copper supa and kalash, which devotees are purchasing as lasting investments. “The price ranges from Rs 600-1500 on these items,” says Premjit Choudhary, a shopkeeper at Ganeshguri.