Chhath Puja 2026 in Raipur: Events, Puja & Where to Celebrate

Chhath arrives in Raipur every November with a quietness unlike any other festival. There are no fireworks, no elaborate decorations, no theatrical performances. What there is instead: a city moving toward water. Hundreds of thousands of devotees, many fasting for 36 continuous hours without even a drop to drink, walk to the banks of the Kharun River, to municipal ponds, and to ghat platforms that the Raipur Municipal Corporation prepares each year — and stand there, in the water, offering Arghya to the sun.

In 2026, Chhath Puja spans four days: 13 to 16 November. It is one of the most physically demanding religious observances on the calendar, and one that has become deeply embedded in Raipur's civic life as Chhattisgarh has grown as a destination for migration from Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

🗓️ The Four-Day Ritual Schedule

Day 1 — Nahay Khay (13 November 2026): Devotees — called vratis — take a ritual bath and cook a single meal with strict attention to purity. The meal on this day is typically lauki (bottle gourd) with chana dal, cooked in a clean kitchen using fresh earthen vessels or brass utensils. From this point, the vrati enters a state of penance and self-discipline that carries through to the dawn of 16 November.

Day 2 — Kharna (14 November 2026): A full day-long fast is observed, broken only in the evening with kheer — rice and jaggery pudding — and banana. This is the Kharna prasad, prepared at home and distributed to family members after a small puja. After eating, the vrati begins a continuous 36-hour fast without water.

Day 3 — Sandhya Arghya (15 November 2026): The central Chhath evening. Devotees arrive at the ghat as the sun begins to descend in the sky. Standing in the water — often knee to waist deep — they hold their bamboo baskets (daura-soop) filled with seasonal fruit, sugarcane stalks, thekua (a traditional wheat and jaggery sweet fried in ghee), and coconut. They offer Arghya, a combination of water and milk, to the setting sun. The chhath geet sung by vratis and gathered families fills the ghat. Crowds at Raipur's major ghats run into the tens of thousands on this evening, the atmosphere a combination of devout concentration and community gathering that is rare in modern urban life.

Day 4 — Usha Arghya (16 November 2026): In the hours before sunrise, vratis return to the ghat for the dawn offering. The rising sun receives the final Arghya. The fast is broken after the offering, and the prasad — thekua, fruit, and sweets — is distributed to all present. This moment carries a palpable release of joy after days of austerity.

🛕 Temples and Gathering Places in Raipur

Chhath is a ghat-based festival: its essential rituals happen at the water's edge rather than inside a temple. That said, Raipur's devotional life during the Chhath season extends well beyond the riverbanks.

Mahamaya Temple — the Shree Rajrajeshwari Maa Mahamaya Devi Mandir in Purani Basti, Raipur — is one of the most significant religious sites in the city and one of the 36 Shaktipeeths of Chhattisgarh. The temple is governed by the Shree Rajrajeshwari Maa Mahamaya Devi Mandir Raipur Trust and draws devotees throughout the year, with particular crowds during major festival seasons. The main campus houses smaller sanctuaries dedicated to Mahakali, Bhadrakali, Surya Dev, Lord Vishnu, Lord Hanuman, Bhairav, and Lord Shiva. Many Chhath vratis visit Mahamaya Temple as part of their broader November devotional calendar — the month is dense with obligation and observance.

Shree Ram Mandir and Banjari Mata Mandir are among the other prominent religious sites in the city that see heightened activity during the festival season. The proximity of Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava (the state's foundation day, observed on 1 November) to Chhath means that Raipur is rarely quiet in November — the civic and the sacred interweave across the month's calendar.

🎶 How Chhattisgarh Adopted Chhath

Chhath is not originally a Chhattisgarhi festival. Its traditional heartland is Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand — states where devotion to Chhathi Maiya and the sun god Surya has been passed down through generations. But migration has carried the festival far beyond those borders.

Chhattisgarh's industrial growth, particularly around Raipur, Bhilai, and Durg, drew large numbers of workers and families from Bihar and Jharkhand over the past several decades. With them came their festivals. Chhath has since taken hold in Raipur to the point where it is now a civic event as much as a community one — with municipal ghat preparation, official attendance by local government representatives at the main ghats, and media coverage that treats it as a full and natural part of the city's own calendar.

What distinguishes Chhath from many other festivals is its grassroots, priest-free character. The vrati — most often a woman, though men also observe it — stands at the ghat and addresses the sun directly. No intermediary, no elaborate priestly choreography. The austerity of the fast, the physical demand of standing in cold November water, and the directness of the offering give the festival a quality that is difficult to describe and immediately felt by anyone present.

Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava on 1 November marks the opening of the festival season in the state. Chhath, arriving two weeks later, caps that festive month with its own demanding and deeply communal rituals — a fitting close to Raipur's autumn calendar.

❓ FAQ

What are the exact Chhath Puja 2026 dates? The four-day festival runs from 13 November (Nahay Khay) through 16 November (Usha Arghya) 2026. Sandhya Arghya is on the evening of 15 November; Usha Arghya before sunrise on 16 November.

Who can observe the Chhath fast? The vrata is traditionally observed by women praying for family welfare and the wellbeing of their children. Men also observe Chhath. There are no caste or community restrictions on participation.

What is thekua? Thekua is the central Chhath prasad — a wheat flour, jaggery, and ghee sweet shaped by hand and deep-fried. It forms part of both the Sandhya and Usha Arghya offerings.

Which ghats are used for Chhath in Raipur? Ghats along the Kharun River and designated municipal pond ghats across the city are the primary locations. The Raipur Municipal Corporation announces specific arrangements in advance of the festival.

Can family and friends accompany the vrati to the ghat? Yes — the ghat is a shared community space. Families gather, children carry the daura-soop baskets, and neighbours join in the chhath geet. Visitors who are not observing the fast are welcome as long as they respect the ghat space and the vrati's concentration.