New Delhi: Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on Thursday across India with traditional fervour and gaiety as Muslims flocked mosques and Eidgahs (open grounds) to offer namaz (special prayers) on the occasion.
The Muslims, especially children, wearing new clothes, exchanged greetings and hugged each other as well as feasted along with family and friends to celebrate the festival.
In Delhi, prayers were held at the historic Jama Masjid, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Fatehpuri Masjid and other mosques.
In Lucknow, the city of Nawabs, the main prayers were held at the Eidgah in Aishbagh. In a first, women were allowed to offer namaz at the Aishbagh Eidgah, albeit separately.
Adequate security arrangements were in place across Uttar Pradesh to prevent untoward incidents, a state Home Department official told IANS.
Mass prayers were held in mosques at Kanpur, Agra, Moradabad, Bareilly, Firozabad and Budayun also.
In Uttarakhand, the main namaz was offered at Chakrala mosque in Dehradun while thousands of Muslims prayed at mosques in different districts too.
Governor K.K. Paul and Chief Minister Harish Rawat extended greetings to the Muslims in the state and hoped that the festival will ring in peace and prosperity the world over.
Similarly, Eid was celebrated in Madhya Pradesh too with fervour and conviviality despite heavy monsoon rains across the state.
Special namaz prayers were offered at the Idgah in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the Idgah and greeted the devout on Eid.
Tajul Masjid, Jama Masjid, Moti Masjid and other mosques in the city were also overflowing with the devouts.
Millions of Muslims celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr across Maharashtra also.
Reports of peaceful Eid were received from Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Pune, Nashik, Beed, Aurangabad and other cities and places of Maharashtra amid enthusiasm dampened by sudden monsoon showers at certain places.
In Rajasthan, Muslims performed namaz across the state. Thousands gathered at the Idgah in Jaipur for prayers.
“About 4-5 lakh people offered namaz at the Idgah today (Thursday). We offered prayers for peace and prosperity,” said Khalid Usmani, President of All India Darul Qazat, in Jaipur.
Usmani said he also took the opportunity to ask Muslims to stand up against terrorism.
Reports of Eid celebration also came in from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Eid prayers were offered in Hyderabad and Secunderabad and other towns.
The streets in Muslim-majority old city of Hyderabad were abuzz with activity since early morning as people headed for namaz, shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is great).
As in the past, separate arrangements were made for women to enable them to offer prayers at a few places.
Reports of Eid celebrations also poured in from Odisha, West Bengal and Meghalaya.