Vat Savitri Puja: Prayers in Patna on 16 May 2026

A married woman offers prayers during Vat Savitri Puja rituals in Patna, Bihar, on 16 May 2026 — a Hindu festival on which women fast and worship for their husbands' longevity. (Photo: NationPress)

Women perform traditional rituals around a banyan tree as part of Vat Savitri Puja in Patna, Bihar, on 16 May 2026 — the banyan, or 'vat', is central to the festival's worship. (Photo: NationPress)

A woman ties a sacred thread around a banyan tree during Vat Savitri Puja in Patna, Bihar, on 16 May 2026 — the thread-tying ritual symbolises the prayer for a husband's long life. (Photo: NationPress)

Women gather around a banyan tree to offer prayers during Vat Savitri Puja in Patna, Bihar, on 16 May 2026, observing one of north India's most widely practised married-women's fasts. (Photo: NationPress)

A woman applies vermillion on a child's forehead as part of Vat Savitri Puja blessings in Patna, Bihar, on 16 May 2026 — a gesture of benediction that accompanies the festival's rituals. (Photo: NationPress)

Women participate in traditional Vat Savitri Puja rituals in Patna, Bihar, on 16 May 2026, keeping a day-long fast and performing puja to honour the legend of Savitri and Satyavan. (Photo: NationPress)

A woman bearing vermillion on her forehead takes part in concluding Vat Savitri Puja rituals in Patna, Bihar, on 16 May 2026, as married women across the state observed the annual Hindu fast. (Photo: NationPress)