Why Chhath Puja in Bihar Deserves a Place on Your Travel Bucket List

At dawn’s edge, before most of the world stirs, you stand on a riverbank. The air is cool, the mist still half‑awake, and across the water, faint voices rise in song. Somewhere, a diya (clay lamp) is lit, and it trembles gently in the early wind. That lamp becomes a signal, a pulse. It says: Come closer. Be present. Offer your devotion to the sun, your gratitude to earth, your faith to what is unseen but felt.

Such is Chhath Puja in Bihar, a festival that resists grandiosity and instead invites communion. Not spectacle, but stillness. Not performance, but presence. For a traveller seeking depth, this festival offers a rare window into India’s soul: where nature, devotion, community, and identity meet in the horizon’s glow.

This is not a story of myths and legends alone. It’s a story of people walking barefoot, songs rising from the heart, the river flowing in every gesture. It is a festival that asks not just for eyes to see, but for hearts to lean in.

Chhath Puja Dates 2025

In 2025, Chhath Puja will be observed from October 25 to October 28, marking four deeply significant days of devotion and ritual. The celebration begins with Nahay Khay, followed by Kharna, and culminates in the twin offerings to the Sun, Sandhya Arghya (sunset) on October 27 and Usha Arghya (sunrise) on October 28. These dates see lakhs of devotees gather by rivers and ponds to express gratitude and seek blessings. Ghats across Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh become vibrant with hymns, lights, and reverent silence. For travellers, it’s a time when faith shapes the landscape, and every sunrise feels sacred.

Spiritual Significance of Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is one of the most spiritually profound festivals in India, rooted in purity, discipline, and gratitude. It is dedicated to Surya, the Sun God, and his sister Chhathi Maiya, who is believed to grant health, longevity, and prosperity to devotees and their families. Unlike many festivals, Chhath is marked by a direct connection with natural elements, sun, water, and earth, symbolising harmony between humanity and nature. Fasting, standing in water, and offering prayers during sunrise and sunset represent surrender, endurance, and deep inner cleansing. Through simplicity and silence, Chhath fosters a sacred space where the soul reconnects with the divine, without intermediaries, without excess, just devotion in its rawest, most powerful form.

The River, the Ritual, the Offering

Chhath is inseparable from water, the river, the pond, the stream. Water is the altar. Here, devotees stand chest- or waist-deep, holding offerings, fruits, sugarcane, thekua (a baked sweet), raw rice, and coconut in beautiful baskets or earthenware. The offering (arghya) happens twice: at sunset (Sandhya Arghya) and at sunrise (Usha Arghya). With folded hands, they stretch toward the sun, acting as living conduits between earth and sky.

What draws travellers is this visceral interplay: the sun lowering into water, reflected again in flame; the rhythm of chanting and song; the ripple of bodies in shared prayer; the hush that gathers as the offering is made. The river holds memory, the sun gives blessing, and devotion becomes visible.

In Bihar, in Patna, Munger, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, and Saran, the riverbanks swell. The ghats are filled with platforms of bamboo and planks, and devotees assemble early. Some travel from distant villages; many cross state borders. Every ghat has its own personality: crowded or quieter, urban skyline or banana groves beyond. Yet each feels intimate when you step close.

Embodied Discipline: Fasting, Purity, Silence

Chhath is not easy. Its disciplines are strict. Devotees purify their bodies, fasting, abstaining from water at certain stages (nirjala), bathing ceremonially, and avoiding salt, onion, and garlic. The days are long; the nights are longer. The rituals demand patience, focus, and surrender.

The tension lies between hunger and faith; in the silent ache that urges you inward. Yet that tension is precisely where you find clarity. A distracted mind gives way to steady breath. A rushed spirit yields to quiet longing. For travellers, joining or witnessing this discipline is a humbling lesson in surrender, not as weakness but as strength.

When the final morning arrives, the sunrise offering, every moment of waiting, every pang of thirst, every silent step becomes a portal. In that blaze of new light, devotion finds shape. The horizon opens like a blessing, soft and certain. A hush settles over the crowd, as if time itself pauses to witness. And in that stillness, something ancient stirs awake within the soul.

Cultural Memory, Identity, and Continuity

Chhath is woven into the cultural fabric of Mithila, Magadh, Anga, and Bhojpur. The songs sung at ghats are Maithili or Bhojpuri. Folk tunes, couplets, and prayers were passed down through generations. In homes before the ghats, women prepare offerings using brass or earthenware, clean rituals, traditional recipes, and ancestral rhythms. Kitchens glow, each pot is set with care, and the lamp is polished. Homes are purified, families gather in quiet intent.

In rural Bihar, windows are shut early to maintain silence; paths are swept; lamps are hung on thresholds; children practice the folk songs. It is a collective hush that smoulders until the evening. The festival becomes an act of reclamation, for identity, memory, and presence. For travellers, this is not a tourist spectacle. It is an invitation into a living world. It asks you to slow, to listen, to follow the thread of tradition without intrusion. Every gesture carries memory; every silence holds meaning. And in simply witnessing with respect, you become part of the story.

Traditional Foods of Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja isn’t just a spiritual experience; it’s also a celebration of simple, soul-satisfying food steeped in tradition. Every dish is made with purity in mind, often without onion, garlic, or common spices. Thekua, a deep-fried wheat flour cookie sweetened with jaggery, is the signature delicacy offered during the puja. Rice-laddu (made from soaked rice and jaggery), steamed rice with lauki (bottle gourd), and kheer made with raw rice and milk also hold special significance. These offerings, prepared with devotion, are first presented to the Sun God before being shared among family and community. Eating them becomes an extension of the prayer itself, simple, sacred, and deeply nourishing. Even the act of preparation is meditative, performed with ritual cleanliness and heartfelt care. Each bite connects you to generations past, who offered the same prayers under the same sun.

Why Chhath Puja in Bihar Should Be on Your Travel List?

Chhath Puja in Bihar should be on your travel list because here, tradition doesn’t sit behind glass; it walks beside you, living and breathing. Faith reveals itself not in grandeur, but in the grit and grace of everyday devotion. The elements, river, sun, wind, sky, don’t frame the ritual; they are part of it. Communities embrace you with a warmth that doesn’t ask your name. And in the stillness of dawn, as the first light touches water, something quiet within begins to shift. What starts as a search for meaning often ends as a rediscovery of self. You arrive as a witness and depart transformed. The chants linger long after the voices have faded. The river's rhythm syncs with your own breath. And the light you carry forward feels a little more sacred than before.

Where to Stay in Bihar During Chhath Puja?

When planning to witness Chhath Puja in Bihar, choosing the right stay is about more than just comfort; it’s about proximity, peace, and perspective. One of the most refined options is the Marasa Sarovar Premiere Resort. With its serene setting and elegant design, this resort in Bodh Gaya offers a tranquil base to experience the spiritual energy of Chhath without the bustle of crowded city centres. The resort is well-suited for those seeking both cultural immersion and modern amenities.

From Bodh Gaya, travellers can make day trips to key Chhath locations in nearby towns, while returning to the calm of landscaped gardens, meditative spaces, and thoughtful hospitality. For sunrise rituals, the early morning drive becomes part of the pilgrimage, quiet, reflective, and beautifully scenic.

Where to stay in Uttar Pradesh during Chhath Puja?

Eastern Uttar Pradesh celebrates Chhath Puja with deep devotion, especially along the ghats of Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, and Ballia. Staying near Assi or Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi, or close to the Sangam in Prayagraj, ensures front-row access to sunrise rituals. In smaller towns, local lodges near the river offer authentic charm. For travellers seeking comfort with cultural depth, the Saura Hotel in Agra – A Club Mahindra Associate offers a refined retreat. The hotel provides a serene stay with excellent service and access to local traditions. It’s ideal for those blending festive experience with leisurely exploration. Advance bookings are highly recommended, as demand peaks during Chhath.

Which states in India celebrate Chhath Puja?

Though rooted in eastern India, Chhath’s reach extends. Its core strongholds are Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. In parts of West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, and among diaspora communities in Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai, you will find pockets of observance, especially in communities carrying Bihari heritage. Even in Nepal’s Terai belt, Chhath is ceremonially observed. Over time, as migration and community networks grow, Chhath has taken root in urban ghats beyond its original geography. Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata now echo with the same devotional songs, lit lamps, and riverside rituals. In every corner where the diaspora gathers, the sun is still worshipped, and the river, real or symbolic, still receives the offering. The rituals may adapt, the settings may change, but the spirit remains undiluted. It is a testament to how deeply tradition can travel, carried not by geography but by memory and faith.