Preparations for the Chhath festival have intensified at various riverbanks, ponds and water bodies across Kathmandu Valley. As the number of people celebrating Chhath in the capital has increased in recent years, arrangements are being made at 17 locations this year.

Preparations are underway at Gaurighat, Guhyeshwari, Kamal Pokhari, the banks of the Bagmati River, Teku and Banshighat, among other places. Chhath is a four-day festival observed through various rituals and religious traditions. Devotees gather along rivers, ponds and other water bodies to offer prayers and arghya to the setting and rising sun.

According to Anil Singh, chairperson of the Chhath Puja Management Committee at Gaurighat, a ghat is being prepared there to accommodate 557 devotees. Work includes setting up tents, arranging lighting, cleaning the riverbank and preparing the necessary infrastructure. Singh said preparations have reached their final stage as the tradition of celebrating Chhath in Kathmandu continues to grow.

Major Chhath celebration sites in Kathmandu include the Gaurighat and Guhyeshwari areas, Kamal Pokhari, the Bagmati riverbank at Thapathali, Teku, Banshighat, Kupandole and Balkhu. Devotees also perform Chhath rituals along the Bishnumati and Nakhu rivers, at Tinkune Dobhan, Tankeshwor, Boksidaha, Kuleshwor, Ramghat and Balaju's Baishdhara.

In previous years, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has managed Kamal Pokhari, Gaurighat, Boksidaha, Bagmati Dobhan, Tankeshwor, the Kumari Club area in Balkhu, Kuleshwor Volleyball Ground and Ramghat as major Chhath worship sites. Ghats are also arranged at locations such as Balaju Baishdhara and Banshighat.

According to the festival schedule, Kharna will be observed on Saturday, Kartik 28. Devotees will offer arghya to the setting sun on Sunday evening, Kartik 29, followed by prayers to the rising sun on Monday morning, Kartik 30, marking the conclusion of the festival.

Although Chhath is traditionally celebrated with deep devotion, particularly in the Terai-Madhesh region, the festival has increasingly spread to Kathmandu Valley as well as Nepal's hill and Himalayan regions.