An increasing number of people are choosing to observe Chhath on their rooftops or water tanks in courtyards at home instead of travelling to the banks of the holy Ganga as is the tradition. The change has been brewing over the past decade. A booming population is considered to be the main reason behind the trend, coupled with chances of mishap. The stampede during the 2012 Chhath Puja at Adalat Ghat, which left 22 dead and several injured, expedited the trend.

“Safety is an obvious priority and being constantly worried about walking out safe from the ghats kills the spirit of the festival. Festivals are all about channelling one’s inner positivity. Negative emotions like fear should have no place. Hence, we decided to observe Chhath rituals at our home only,” said Bipin Pandey, a resident of Vivek Vihar Colony in Patna.

Small and nuclear families with a dearth of hands to carry baskets loaded with fruits and Puja materials is another big reason behind people preferring to observe the rituals at home instead of trudging to the ghats.

Moreover, given the way crowds of worshippers throng the ghats, it becomes difficult to take all family members to take part in the rituals. Vijay Nagar resident Asha Chandra has chosen to observe Chhath at home precisely due to this. “For me, it is important that my entire family becomes a part of the celebrations. This would not be possible if I observe Chhath at a Ganga ghat, as some people will have to stay back at home for safety reasons. It will not be easy for the elderly in my family to navigate through the milling crowd. I chose to do observe the rituals on my rooftop for them.”

Some of the Chhath rituals are performed while standing in water and Asha has got a small tank built on her roof. It is filled up with fresh water for the Puja.

Those who perform the rituals at home also say that it allows their neighbours to easily partake, which would not be possible on the riverbank owing to rush of people.

Distant ghats are a huge problem for people. Some cannot get there because they do not have any means of transportation to reach there. On the other hand, most car owners avoid going to ghats because there are high chances of getting stuck in traffic snarls, and because of car parking woes.

“It is extremely important that the arghyas (water and milk oblations to the Sun God) have to be offered at the correct time while the Sun is setting and rising. Getting stuck in a traffic jam, which is extremely probable, may hinder that,” said Geeta Rukhaiyar, a devotee.

Anyone who has been to Ashok Rajpath would know how the narrow lanes leading to the ghats are. Similarly, the river has shifted course 3-4km at several ghats from Danapur to Patna Collectorate, forcing the fasting devotees to bear the additional hardship of walking that distance. It is also one of the reasons that families prefer observing rituals at home.

The level of pollution in the Ganga is also driving away more and more people.