VARANASI, Oct. 28 -- Amid tight security arrangements and vigilant presence of NDRF personnel along the Ganga, thousands of devotees gathered at Varanasi's ghats on Monday evening to offer arghya (water) to the setting sun, a key ritual of the Chhath festival. Clad in traditional attire, devotees carrying bamboo baskets filled with fruits, and homemade delicacies like thekua, malpua, and laddus, with many holding sugarcanes, started gathering at the ghats from early afternoon. As the sun began to set, the ghats filled with devotees, and the sound of Chhath songs from loudspeakers and mobile phones created an atmosphere of faith and festivity. The women observed fast to perform Kharna pooja, which holds special significance in the four-day Chhath festival. This day symbolises self-control, devotion, and self-purification. After Kharna, fasting devotees-including men and women-carrying baskets filled with thekua, fruits, coconut, sugarcane, and rice laddus, stepped into the waist-deep waters of the Ganga and offered arghya to the setting sun, chanting "Jai Chhath Maiya." According to Pt Priya Mohan Mishra, devotees offered arghya during the auspicious period between 5:10 pm and 5:58 pm. On Tuesday, October 28, the ideal time to offer arghya to the rising sun will be between 5:33 am and 6:30 am. On Tuesday, October 28, fasting women will offer arghya to the rising sun, marking the conclusion of the Chhath fast. The offerings for worship, known as Daala Chhath, include sathi rice, betel nut, jaggery, new rice, mehendi, sesame oil, incense, lamps, vermilion, betel leaves, cloves, cardamom, coconut, and wicks, along with new cloth. In addition, traditional items such as bamboo baskets, spoons, daura, daliya, brass utensils, lota-thali, kosi, and parai are also used during the rituals. NDRF teams have been deployed at nearly all major ghats in Varanasi, Gorakhpur, and Chandauli to ensure the safety of devotees during Chhath Puja. In Varanasi, six NDRF teams equipped with advanced life-saving equipment have been stationed at sensitive ghats along the Ganga. The deployment covers key locations including Rajghat, Lalita Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Panchganga Ghat, Rajendra Prasad Ghat, Kedar Ghat, Assi Ghat, Samne Ghat, Vishwasundari Ghat, and other nearby ghats. NDRF teams have also been stationed at other sensitive locations in Varanasi, including Shastri Ghat on the Varuna, Surya Sarovar, and the Banaras Locomotive Works area. In Chandauli district, NDRF personnel have been deployed at Mansarovar Pond and Balua Ghat in the Mughalsarai area for security purposes. Additionally, teams are positioned at Raj Ghat on the Ghaghra in Gorakhpur and other crowd-sensitive ghats nearby to ensure the safety of devotees during the Chhath festivities....