Eid, Rath Yatra celebrated across India

Amid tight security arrangements, people celebrated the festival of Eid-ul Fitr with Muslims commencing the day by praying at mosques and greeting each other on the occasion.

The day marked the end of the Islamic Holy month of Ramzan and the beginning of the next lunar month.

Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting that is kept for spiritual purification.

Despite celebrations, tensions prevailed across the border as Pakistani rangers on Saturday refused to accept sweets from their Indian counterparts on the occasion of Eid at the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab.

Officials of the Border Security Force said that a message to their Pakistani counterparts for the annual exchange of Eid greetings did not evoke response.

From Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, India was completely gripped by a mood of revelry and celebrations for the entire day with the Hindus engaging themselves in Rath Yatra parades in Odisha and other states.

Celebrating a grand occasion that comes once in 19 years, the holy city of Puri in Odisha observed the grand Nabakalebara Yatra, one of the country's biggest religious congregations.

However, tragedy hit the state as two women were killed in a stampede during the celebration.

Reports said more than 50 lakh people are expected to have thronged the city to participate in the grand yatra that witnessed Lord Jagannath's new idol for the first time this century.

The Nabakalebara symbolises the new birth of Lord Jagannath.

Preparations for the grand event started three years ago wit the  Odisha government spending over Rs 3,000 crore on infrastructure development, including construction of  new accommodation, bus terminals, railway station and wider roads.