<span style="color: #222222;">The four-day long celebrations of Chhath Puja concluded this morning with devotees paying oblation to the rising Sun in different parts of the country. The festival which began on Wednesday, concluded with devotees offering Pratah Arghya to the rising Sun and ending their 36-hour long fast by taking Chhath prasad. This is called Paran.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">This year, the festival was celebrated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Several people offered their prayers to the Sun God at their home in artificial ponds and water bodies maintaining COVID-19 protocols.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">As per the tradition, devotees worship the Sun God and his wife Usha to express gratitude and seek their blessings on Chhath. This festival is connected with purity, devotion to the Sun God, who is considered as the source of life on this earth and regarded as the deity who fulfils all wishes.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have greeted people on the occasion.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In Bihar, devotees started gathering at banks of various rivers including Ganga, Kosi, Gandak and Sone early this morning to offer their prayers to the Sun God.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Devotees and festivities of the Chhath Puja offered Pratah Arghya on the banks of Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, Mahananda , Ghaghra and other rivers of the state.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Special prayers were offered at historic and Sun temples at Aurangabad, Rohtas, Patna, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Nawada and some other places of mythological importance.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">On the Indo-Nepal border, a large number of people of both the countries offered prayers to the rising Sun at Valmiki Nagar Gandak Barrage.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Due to Covid -19 pandemic this year there was depletion in the number of footfalls witnessed at public access Chhath ghats. Due to safety reasons several people performed the ritual of Arghya at their home.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Chhath puja committees disseminated the message about Corona protection and precautionary measures through tableau and statues at their Puja Pandals.</span><br />''