Abstract
Chhath (also spelled Chhath Puja or Chhat) is an ancient, regionally central festival of eastern India and Nepal focused on veneration of the Sun (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya. This review synthesizes evidence from ancient literature (epics and Puranas), ethnographic descriptions, recent environmental and food-chemistry studies, and photobiological literature to outline the chemistry and physics underlying the festival’s core elements as sun-facing rituals, water-edge practice, and ritual prasad (notably thekua). We show how historical textual references connect to ecological and physico-chemical realities (water quality and management), how food chemistry (Maillard chemistry and frying) governs the organoleptic stability and shelf-life of offering items, and how photobiology explains some putative health effects attributed to sunrise/sunset exposure during ritual. The paper concludes with recommendations for safer, evidence-based practice and priorities for future interdisciplinary research.
KEYWORDS
Chhath/Chhath Puja, Surya Worship, Thekua, Maillard Reaction, Water Quality, Ritual Chemistry, Vedic Literature.
Shobha Lal1*, Shalini Kumari2
1Professor, Computer Application Department, BIM, Gorakhpur- 273209, U.P., India
2Ph. D. (Economics), Independent Researcher