From the archive record
Devotees proceed towards ghats of sacred Yamuna River to celebrate Chhath Puja in Delhi. Chhath, literally means 'sixth', and this day is the sixth day of the month of Karthik. It is believed that the 'Maga Purohits' from the Vedic Age had started this tradition of Sun worship. The Chhath ritual might even pre-date the Vedas as there are references to it in the Rigvedas. It is also believed that Karna the son of the sun god-Surya, who was the ruler of Angadesh, in present day Bihar, started the Chhath tradition. It has had a major religious following in the state of Bihar and has spread further through the people of the region who have migrated elsewhere. Chhath Puja is a four-day affair during which the devotees maintain purity and observe abstinence and segregation from the rest of the h