Prayagraj: For happiness, prosperity, and good fortune, women devotees on Sunday observed ‘kharna’ (purification). Women devotees were seen engrossed in prayers and devotional songs with great enthusiasm. Women made preparations for the fast and singing devotional songs throughout the day. Meanwhile, the district administration and police on Sunday reviewed the crowd management and preparedness to ensure safety during the Chhath festival.Anticipating a huge crowd of devotees, and their family members gathering on river banks and ghats on the third and fourth days of the festival, district officials on Sunday issued comprehensive guidelines for crowd management to ensure the safety and security of devotees during religious gatherings.A site layout plan with designated entry and exit points, along with a detailed emergency plan, was prepared with designated officials. There has been collaboration of all stakeholders with local administration, police, fire services, medical services, and other agencies for efficient management. Cops are being asked to check the flow of people entering and exiting the venue and take effective measures like barricading or signage to guide devotees and prevent congestion in high-density areas.Noted religious scholar Dr Amitabh Gour told TOI, “All women devotees are set to begin their 36-hour fast after consuming the prasad (offering) from Sunday evening. The fasting women will offer prayers to the setting sun on Monday evening. Then, after offering prayers to the rising sun on Tuesday morning, they will break their fast by drinking water. For the prosperity and well-being of the family, the fasting women will fill Kosi (a type of earthen pot) at the ghat (riverbank). Some will spend the night at the ghat.”He adds, “The most special offering of Dala Chhath Puja is Thekua. The fasting women make Thekua by mixing wheat flour with clarified butter (ghee) and sugar. They will offer it to ‘Chhathi Maiya’ on Monday. The next day, they will consume it to break their fast. Lemon, orange, sugarcane, coconut, water chestnut, and Thekua are offered to ‘Chhathi Maiya’. A canopy is made with sugarcane stalks, and the puja is performed inside it. Sugarcane is a symbol of prosperity, while water chestnut is believed to ward off diseases. Similarly, banana, betel nut, betel leaf, guava, and coconut are also considered sacred. Worship of the sun brings peace.”“The most sacred and intensive part of the Chhath festival falls on the third day, on Monday, Sandhya Arghya. On this day, devotees observe a rigorous full-day fast without water. The main ritual is performed in the evening where the entire family gathers at a river bank to offer evening Arghya (offering) to the setting sun,” said Gour, adding, “The Chhath puja concludes on day 4 (Tuesday) with Usha Arghya and Parana. Devotees return to the river banks before dawn to offer morning Arghya to the rising sun,” he added. Once this final offering is completed, the 36-hour fast is broken with ‘prasad’ and water, a ritual known as Parana, marking the successful completion of the fast.