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Chhath Puja Finds a New Home in Assam: Tradition, Faith, and Unity on the Brahmaputra’s Banks
- rudrajeetlaskar
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
Chhath Puja, once confined largely to the plains of Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, has now found a devoted following in Assam. Over the past few years, the festival of the Sun God has taken root in cities like Guwahati, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Karbi Anglong, transforming the ghats and riverbanks of Assam into vibrant centres of faith and celebration.
In Guwahati, thousands of devotees now gather every year along the banks of the Brahmaputra to perform the evening arghya — a sight that mirrors the grand celebrations of Patna and Varanasi. The ghats glow with diyas, the air filled with folk songs and the aroma of thekua, as families stand waist-deep in the water to offer prayers to the setting Sun.
While the festival was traditionally celebrated by migrants from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, it has steadily gained acceptance. Today, Chhath Puja in Assam has grown beyond cultural lines, becoming a symbol of unity and devotion.
Dates and Key Timings
Day 1 – Nahay Khay: October 25, 2025
Day 2 – Kharna: October 26, 2025
Day 3 – Sandhya Arghya (Evening Offerings): October 27, 2025
Day 4 – Usha Arghya (Morning Offerings): October 28, 2025
In Tinsukia, devotees gather at historic water bodies like Na-Pukhuri, offering prayers with deep reverence. Similarly, in West Karbi Anglong, the spring version of the festival — Chaiti Chhath — is observed with equal enthusiasm. These events show how Assam’s diverse spiritual fabric embraces new traditions while maintaining harmony with its local culture.
What’s remarkable is the serenity that surrounds the festival. Amid chants and rituals, there’s a sense of discipline and purity — a defining feature of Chhath Puja. Every devotee follows strict rituals, maintaining cleanliness, fasting, and offering natural, eco-friendly materials as prasad.
The growing scale of the festival has also led to better organization. In Guwahati, civic bodies and volunteers prepare ghats days in advance, setting up lighting, barricades, and safety arrangements for the large crowds. Police and municipal teams ensure smooth traffic flow and cleanliness during and after the rituals.
However, with growth come challenges. In certain areas like Tinsukia’s heritage ponds, concerns have been raised about the environmental and cultural impact of large gatherings. Local administrations have since taken steps to balance faith and preservation, ensuring that age-old traditions coexist with modern awareness.
Chhath Puja’s rise in Assam is part of a broader national trend — one that reflects India’s fluid cultural exchanges. Migrant communities have brought their traditions with them, and local populations have embraced them with open arms.
At its heart, Chhath Puja remains a festival of gratitude — to the Sun, to nature, and to life itself. As the glowing diyas reflect off the Brahmaputra, the moment transcends faith or region. It becomes a collective celebration of purity, patience, and peace — values that resonate deeply in Assam’s soulful landscape.
In Assam today, Chhath Puja is no longer just a migrant festival — it’s a shared tradition. A symbol of devotion that connects the ancient with the modern, the individual with the community, and the river with the rising sun.