End of fast at crack of dawn as Chhath puja concludes

Lucknow: At the crack of dawn, hundreds of devotees descended in knee deep waters at ghats of Gomti to offer ‘Usha Arghya' to the rising sun, marking culmination of a 36-hour fast on last day of the four-day Chhath festival on Tuesday. ‘Usha Arghya', is final and most important ritual of Chhath, when devotees chant hymns and mantras, praying to Surya Dev and his sister Chhathi Maiya for well-being of their loved ones.At Lakshman Mela ground, where the main event took place, devotees had assembled since hours before dawn. As the first morning light appeared, people walked down the stairs of the ghat, chanting ‘Jai ho Chhathi Maiya ki' and offered water and milk in the water in the direction of the sun. As devotees, along with families, broke their fast, some were seen dancing to the beats of ‘dhol'.Mother-daughter duo Kalpana Gupta (62) and Kumud Gupta (31) were seen decorating their ‘vedi' (altar) with ‘daura' (baskets of fruits, vegetables, flowers and laddoos) and lighting earthen lamps and singing ‘hey Chhathi maiya'. "I have started observing Chhath fast since two years and last year Chhathi Maiya blessed me with a baby boy," said Kumud. Tears of joy in her eyes and standing in water, Sandhya Kumari said, "This emotion is heartwarming."