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Devotees visited temples across southern states on the occasion of Ugadi, marking the Telugu and Kannada New Year.
In Hyderabad, devotees thronged the Hanuman temple in Chikkadpalli to offer prayers. In Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi, devotees gathered at Vaikundapathi Perumal Temple, where rituals began early on Thursday with Gomatha Pooja. In Bengaluru, Karnataka, worshippers offered prayers at Kaadu Malleshwara Temple. Meanwhile, marking the first day of Chaitra Navratri, devotees across the country visited temples on Thursday in large numbers to seek blessings and begin the auspicious festival with devotion. The occasion was celebrated with great faith as people observed rituals and prayers from early morning. In Uttar Pradesh, a large number of devotees gathered at the Shri Durgakund Temple in Varanasi from early morning on the first day of Chaitra Navratri. In Jammu and Kashmir, despite continuous rainfall, a large number of devotees thronged the temple in Katra early in the morning to begin their pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji on the auspicious occasion. A devotee said, "Today is the first day of Navratri. I've also been observing the Navratri fast. It's my great fortune to be able to visit Maa on the very first day of Navratri. It's thanks to her that she invites me every year, and I'm able to come every year..." Devotees also gathered in large numbers at prominent shrines, including the Jhandewalan and Chhatarpur temples in Delhi and Mumba Devi in Mumbai, to offer prayers on the first day of Chaitra Navratri. The air resonated with the sound of bells and hymns as the Aarti performed marked the commencement of the nine-day festival dedicated to Goddess Durga. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, while talking to the reporters, said, "I wish everyone a Happy Chaitra Navaratri. May the Goddess bring prosperity in everyone's life and may Her blessings stay on our country..." (ANI)
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