Kharna Puja: Rasiya-Roti Prasad and the 36-Hour Fast

Kharna is the second day of Chhath Puja and the turning point of the vrat. On this day the vratin fasts without water until evening, cooks and offers a simple prasad of rice kheer and roti, eats it, and then begins the 36-hour waterless fast that runs to the sunrise Arghya. In 2026 Kharna falls on Saturday, 14 November. This guide explains what Kharna means, the Kharna puja vidhi step by step, the prasad and the rules around it.

What is Kharna?

Kharna comes the day after Nahay Khay, on the fifth day of the bright half of Kartik, and in some regions it is called Lohanda. The word is linked to the idea of breaking a day-long fast with one purified meal. It marks the vratin’s passage from the preparatory first day into the full discipline of Chhath, and the household treats the evening with particular quiet and care.

Kharna puja vidhi: step by step

1. Fast through the day. The vratin takes neither food nor water from sunrise, and spends the day in prayer and preparation. Many bathe in a river or pond and clean the house and kitchen.
2. Prepare the kitchen. A clean space is set aside for the prasad. In the traditional way, the food is cooked on a clay stove with mango wood, in new or well-washed utensils.
3. Cook the prasad in the evening. After sunset, the vratin cooks rasiya, a kheer of rice, whole milk and jaggery, and rotis made with wheat flour and ghee, without salt.
4. Arrange the offering. Place the kheer and roti on a clean banana leaf or plate with bananas, light a ghee lamp, and offer it to Surya and Chhathi Maiya with folded hands.
5. Eat the prasad. The vratin eats the offering in a quiet, closed room. Custom says that the household keeps silent, and that if a sound disturbs the meal the vratin stops eating.
6. Share the prasad. After the vratin has eaten, the family and invited neighbours are given the prasad, often with a banana.
7. Begin the waterless fast. The 36-hour nirjala vrat starts after this meal and ends after the Usha Arghya on 16 November.

What goes into Kharna prasad

• Rasiya: rice, whole milk and jaggery, cooked slowly until thick. Some families use sugarcane juice (“ras”), which gives the dish its name.
• Roti or puri: plain wheat roti with ghee, made without salt.
• Bananas and other seasonal fruit on the plate.

The prasad is simple on purpose. No salt, onion or garlic is used, and it is cooked fresh and not tasted before the offering.

Rules of Kharna

• Bathe before cooking and keep the kitchen free of non-vegetarian food for the four days.
• Use mango wood or a clean stove as family custom allows, and clean utensils kept for puja.
• Do not taste or smell the food while cooking.
• Keep the evening calm and the room quiet while the vratin eats.

A note on health

The waterless fast that follows Kharna is demanding. People with diabetes, pregnancy, old age or regular medicines should speak to a doctor before keeping it, and many families adapt the vrat after consulting elders or a priest. Tradition values sincerity over strain.

What Kharna means in Chhath

Kharna is a lesson in preparation and restraint. After a day of fasting, one plain and well-made meal is taken with gratitude, and the discipline that follows is offered to Surya and Chhathi Maiya. For the full order of the four days, read the Chhath Puja 2026 guide and the story in Chhath Vrat Katha. See the Chhath Puja page for dates through 2027.

Frequently asked questions