Madhuri Sinha and her family prepare the pokhar at home for Chhath. Picture by Jai Prakash

SK Nagar resident Madhuri Sinha is readying her rooftop tank to offer arghya this Chhath.

She is not alone. The trend of praying out of pokhars (tanks) on Chhath has slowly taken ground among residents over going to the Ganga ghats in Patna. Overcrowding at the ghats and alleged mismanagement on the part of authorities have pushed several residents to take this step.

Madhuri Sinha said: “Almost all the ghats are chock-a-block during Chhath. People fall over each other while offering arghya. The authorities hardly do anything to manage the crowd. Seven years ago, I had slipped on the ghat and into the river amid the commotion. After that incident, I stopped going to the ghats. Now, I offer arghya from the pokhar on my rooftop.”

These tanks can be seen on rooftops of almost every other house in the various neighbourhoods. While they can normally accommodate five to 10 people, the smaller ones usually fit up to two persons. A day or two before Chhath and offering arghya, the tanks are cleaned and filled with fresh water.

But, after all it is the biggest festival of the state and the revellers try to maintain the festival’s original sanctity. They fill a few bottles with water from the Ganga and pour it in the rooftop tank.

The rooftop pokhars also go a long way in keeping children and elderly from harm and discomfort at the ghats.

“One has to be extremely vigilant while going to the ghats with children and the elderly on Chhath. We have to make sure that the children do not get lost in the crowd and the elderly are not pushed. On the rooftop, we do not have to bother about these things at the time of offering arghya. The children also do not need to wake up at 3am like they would have to if we went to the ghats — they can get up around 5, a few minutes before sunrise,” says Shila Pandey, a resident of Sheikhpura.

She has been offering arghya on her rooftop for the past six years.

For every devotee who has opted for the pokhar there are others who believe one needs to go to the ghats for offering arghya.

“Chhath is a community festival. It is supposed to be celebrated with others and never alone. Walking in a crowd and facing hardship in reaching the ghats has been an integral part of this festival. So, people should not avoid going to the Ganga ghats,” says Surendra Prasad, a resident of Jagdeo Path.

Offering arghya at the Ganga is more pure than when offered on the rooftop, the proponents claim.

“There are many towns and villages in Bihar through which the Ganga does not pass. But here in Patna, the people are fortunate to have the holy riverbank. The Ganga is holy and if one offers arghya to the Sun God while standing in the river, then he/she worships two gods simultaneously. Besides, taking a dip in the Ganga washes away sins, which would not happen in the rooftop pokhar,” says Kamal Nath Tiwari, a resident of Kankerbagh.