CM Mohan Yadav extends Kharna greetings on Chhath Puja
Synopsis
Madhya Pradesh CM Dr. Mohan Yadav greeted devotees on Kharna, the second and pivotal day of Chhath Puja, praying that Chhathi Maiya and Lord Suryadev bring peace, health, and prosperity to all observers of the sun-worship festival.
Key Takeaways
Mohan Yadav , Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, extended greetings on Kharna — the second day of Chhath Puja — on 14 November 2026 .
Kharna involves a strict day-long waterless fast followed by preparation of kheer and fruits offered to the Sun God at sundown.
Chhath Puja is a four-day festival dedicated to Lord Suryadev and Chhathi Maiya , rooted in Bihar and eastern UP but widely observed across Madhya Pradesh.
CM Yadav prayed for happiness, peace, good health, and prosperity for all devotees in his message.
Large Bhojpuri-speaking communities in MP cities like Bhopal, Indore, and Jabalpur observe Chhath with significant public fervour.
On the second day of the four-day Chhath Puja festival, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav extended warm wishes to devotees observing Kharna, the sacred ritual that marks the heart of this festival of sun worship and folk faith.
Posting on Saturday, 14 November 2026, Dr. Yadav wrote — 'Surya upasana, shraddha aur lok aastha ke mahaparvon mein Chhath ke dwitiya divas Kharna ki hardik mangalkamnayen' — offering 'heartfelt good wishes on Kharna, the second day of Chhath, the great festival of sun worship, devotion, and folk faith.' He prayed that the blessings of Chhathi Maiya and Lord Suryadev bring happiness, peace, good health, and prosperity to all.
What Kharna means for Chhath devotees
Kharna is no ordinary ritual. After observing a strict day-long fast without water, devotees break it at sundown by preparing and consuming kheer — a rice-and-jaggery pudding — along with fruits, offered first to the Sun God before the family partakes. The discipline is demanding: once Kharna is complete, the central fast begins, and devotees will not eat or drink until after the third-day Sandhya Arghya — the evening offering to the setting sun.Chhath's footprint in Madhya Pradesh
Chhath Puja, primarily associated with Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, has grown into a pan-Indian festival carried by migrant communities across central India. In Madhya Pradesh, large Bhojpuri-speaking populations in cities like Bhopal, Indore, and Jabalpur observe the festival with considerable fervour — setting up ghats along rivers and water bodies, drawing thousands of devotees for the iconic sunrise and sunset arghya rituals. For a state government, Chhath greetings are more than social media courtesy — they signal recognition of a culturally distinct community whose numbers and electoral weight are hard to ignore in several constituencies. As Chhath devotees across Madhya Pradesh prepare for the most demanding stretch of the vrat, the Chief Minister's message lands as a reminder that the state stands with them in observance — and the sun, as always, rises on cue.Point of View
Once seen as a Bihar-centric festival, now commands attention in states with large migrant populations including Madhya Pradesh. Dr. Mohan Yadav's Kharna greeting fits a BJP pattern of broadening cultural connect beyond the party's traditional Hindutva calendar to embrace folk-faith traditions popular among working-class communities. With assembly-level constituencies in central MP showing growing Purvanchal-origin voter bases, such outreach carries quiet electoral arithmetic alongside its devotional warmth. How the state facilitates ghat infrastructure and crowd management during the Arghya rituals will be the more concrete test of that connect.
NationPress
14 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kharna in Chhath Puja?
Kharna is the second day of the four-day Chhath Puja festival. Devotees observe a strict day-long fast without food or water and break it at sundown by preparing and eating kheer (rice and jaggery pudding) and fruits, first offered to the Sun God.
Why did CM Mohan Yadav post Chhath Puja greetings?
As Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Mohan Yadav extended greetings to Chhath-observing communities across the state, praying for their well-being — a common practice among Indian state leaders during major festivals.
Is Chhath Puja celebrated in Madhya Pradesh?
Yes. Large Bhojpuri-speaking and Purvanchal-origin communities in Madhya Pradesh cities like Bhopal, Indore, and Jabalpur observe Chhath Puja with considerable fervour, setting up ghats for sunrise and sunset rituals.
Who is Chhathi Maiya?
Chhathi Maiya is the folk deity worshipped on the sixth day after Diwali as part of the Chhath Puja tradition. She is believed to bless devotees with children, health, and prosperity, alongside Lord Suryadev, the Sun God.
How many days is Chhath Puja celebrated?
Chhath Puja is a four-day festival. It begins with Nahay Khay (ritual bath and meal), followed by Kharna (day-long fast and evening kheer offering), then Sandhya Arghya (evening offering to setting sun), and concludes with Usha Arghya (morning offering to rising sun).
