RAS question
Chhath Puja 2025 celebrations, beginning on 25 October, honour which deity?
Correct answer: (B) Sun God Surya and Chhathi Maiya.
Beginning on 25 October, Chhath Puja 2025 is a four-day observance honouring the Sun God Surya and Chhathi Maiya through fasting, ritual bathing and Arghya offerings.
Explanation
Chhath Puja 2025 is a four-day Hindu festival observed from 25 to 28 October and dedicated to the Sun God Surya and Chhathi Maiya. According to Bihar Tourism, Chhath is also known as Surya Shashti and involves ritual bathing, abstinence, purity and a strict four-day observance. Its distinctive feature is the worship of both the setting and rising sun: devotees offer Arghya at riverbanks in the evening and again before sunrise on the final day. These rituals identify Chhath specifically with the worship of Surya and Chhathi Maiya rather than with another Hindu deity.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Lord Shiva is not the principal deity honoured in Chhath Puja; the festival centres on worship of Surya and Chhathi Maiya.
- (C) Lord Vishnu is not the principal deity of the four-day Chhath observance; it is dedicated to Surya and Chhathi Maiya.
- (D) Goddess Durga is associated with other festival contexts, whereas Chhath Puja honours Surya and Chhathi Maiya through evening and dawn Arghya offerings.
Concept
This tests the festivals and cultural practices segment of the Rajasthan/RAS culture syllabus, especially the ability to match major observances with their presiding deity and ritual markers. Such questions recur because examiners often check whether candidates understand a festival's cultural meaning, not merely its date.