How Yamuna takes centre stage every Chhath Puja
Devotees in Delhi are observing the Chhath Puja festival by performing rituals in the highly polluted Yamuna river. The event has sparked political finger-pointing between the BJP and AAP regarding the river's cleanliness.
Why it matters
The intersection of religious observance and environmental degradation highlights the ongoing public health and infrastructure challenges in India's capital.
NEW DELHI: Purity, hygiene and cleanliness are paramount for devotees during Chhath Puja. With God as their witness - quite literally in this case - devotees go to great lengths to observe strict hygiene while following elaborate rituals centred around the worship of the Sun deity over four days.In Delhi, however, devotees will step into the sullied waters of the Yamuna, believing that their faith will protect them.As Delhi is already gasping for breath after Diwali, the debate has now pivoted to the pollution of the river which Delhi, for most of the year, views from the bridges built over it.As thousands of people come down to the Yamuna's banks, the river will undergo its annual public audit by devotees standing waist-deep in its waters.Significance of ChhathChhath Puja, rooted in devotion to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, is primarily observed by people from Bihar, eastern UP and Jharkhand.Observed over…
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