Chhath Pooja 2024: Indore Celebrates 'Kharna Puja' With Devotion; 36-Hour Fast Now Begins

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The city of Indore celebrated the second day of Chhath Pooja, ‘Kharna,’ with great enthusiasm and devotion on Wednesday. On the day of Kharna, the devotees, specially those who are observing the fast, prepare a special prasad which includes Kheer, Roti or Puri. 

This ritual is executed with utmost cleanliness and purity. To maintain the purity of the prasad, women prepare it in earthen pots or brass utensils. 

What is special about the prasad? 

The prasad includes rice pudding (Kheer) with jaggery as the sweetener. Alongside Kheer, special ghee-based rotis are prepared as the prasad. The rotis also are different from regular ones as it’s a two-in-one ‘Dosti Roti’ which is usually cooked only during the Chhath Puja festival. 

A Chhath devotee performs the Kharna Puja in Dream City.

36-hour waterless fast begins now

After beginning the 36-hour waterless fast (Nirjala vrat) with ‘Kharna,’ thousands of people from the Malwa region of the city will gather on Thursday evening for the third day of Chhath Puja. They will offer Arghya (water) to the setting sun. These rituals would be performed at various water bodies, including ponds, natural lakes, and artificial pools across the city.

Kalindi Singh, a resident of Tulsi Nagar, prepares the prasad for Kharna.

In Indore, about 150 public Chhath Puja celebrations will be held at places like Vijay Nagar, Banganga, Scheme No. 78, Tulsi Nagar, Summer Park Nipania, Pipliyahana Pond, Silicon City, Shankheshwar City, Venkatesh Nagar, Shyam Nagar Annex, Aerodrome Road, Annapurna Pond, Sun Temple on CAT Road, Sukhliya, Shipra, and Dewas Naka.

The Eastern Cultural Institute has taken charge of organising the festivities.