Third day of Chhath Puja celebrated with great enthusiasm

On the third day of the four-day-long Chhath festival, devotees across North India thronged river banks to offer 'Sandhya Arghya' to the setting sun.

In Ranch and Patna, thousands of devotees thronged the river banks and offered prayers to the Sun God on Saturday.

The Brahmaputra river in Dibrugarh hosted the 'Sandhya Arghya' where the women devotees offered prayers.

In Goraphpur many devotees were seen at Surajkund Dham of Gorakhpur offering 'Sandhya Arghya'.

During the third day of the festival, Daura (a basket made of bamboo sticks) is prepared by putting into it all the offerings including 'thekua' and seasonal fruits.

In the evening, the women devotees along with their family members gather at the bank of a river or a pond and worship the setting sun.

Chhath Puja, dedicated to the Sun god, is celebrated on the sixth day Kartik month of Hindu calendar.

Every year, the festival commences with paying obeisance to the setting sun and concludes with the rising sun.