Families in Patna’s Danapur, Khagaul and Anisabad are moving Chhath rituals to apartment rooftops and housing complexes ahead of the festival on November 15 and 16, as residents seek to avoid crowded ghats, traffic congestion and difficult journeys for elderly people and children.
The shift has been reported in several households where families are preparing temporary water bodies, artificial ponds and dedicated puja spaces within their residential premises. Devotees plan to stand in these arrangements while offering prayers to the setting and rising Sun, allowing them to observe the rituals without travelling to riverbanks or other crowded public locations.
“Performing the rituals at home will help us avoid overcrowded ghats, traffic congestion and the difficulties associated with travelling with family members during the festival,” said Sudha Devi, a resident of Danapur.
For residents of multi-storey apartment buildings, rooftops have become a practical setting for conducting the rituals. Families have undertaken cleaning, whitewashing and painting work, while arranging the temporary facilities needed for the observance. The preparations are taking place within individual homes as well as shared housing-complex spaces.
“These arrangements allow us to observe the rituals without having to travel to crowded ghats,” said Archana Ray of Danapur. Her account reflects the way some apartment residents are adapting a public, riverbank-based festival to denser residential environments where access to open public spaces can become difficult during peak gatherings.
Elderly residents are expected to benefit from the arrangements because they do not have to walk long distances, navigate congested roads or carry puja materials to the riverbanks. “Many senior citizens find it difficult to walk long distances, navigate crowded roads and carry puja materials to the riverbanks. Performing Chhath at home enables them to observe the rituals comfortably and without physical strain,” said Pradeep Priyadarshi, a social activist from Khagaul.
Priyadarshi also pointed to concerns among parents about children during the evening and morning arghya, when large numbers of devotees gather at the ghats. “Home-based arrangements provide a safer environment for children who would otherwise have to negotiate crowded pathways and congested bathing areas,” he said.
The reported change is taking place as preparations intensify across Patna households. Residents are creating small water bodies and artificial ponds on rooftops or inside housing complexes, alongside spaces for पूजा materials and other festival requirements. These arrangements allow families to remain within or close to their homes while retaining the central ritual elements described by residents.
Ashutosh Sinha of Saket Vihar in Anisabad said the growing preference for rooftop and in-house observance reflected the way urban families were adapting traditional celebrations to changing residential conditions and increasing crowds at public ghats. The reported preparations in Danapur, Khagaul and Anisabad show how apartment communities are using privately managed residential spaces as alternatives during one of Patna’s largest festival gatherings.
The rooftop and in-house arrangements are being prepared for the evening and morning rituals scheduled around Chhath on November 15 and 16.
