India celebrates Eid-ul-Azha with gaiety
New Delhi: Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated across India with great fervour on Monday with people turning up in large numbers dressed in traditional finery to offer prayers at mosques.
Top country leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, extended greetings on Eid-ul-Azha, which is popularly known as Bakrid and marks the celebration of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice of his son for the Lord.
In the national Capital New Delhi, thousands offered prayers at the historic Jama Masjid. Muslim families assembled at the 17th century mosque on the occasion and shared hugs and wishes after the prayers. Large number of people also offered special prayers at different mosques across the city.
Eid-ul-Azha namaz was also offered on the mosque premises of the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
A local resident Shakeel Rafiq who offered namaz there, said, “We prayed for the peace and prosperity of the country. May the coming years bring prosperity for the people of India.” Prince Vajpayee, Chief Conservation Assistant at Taj Mahal said, “On the occasion of the Eid-al-Adha, the entry for the devotees and others in the Taj Mahal premises was free till 7 am to 10 am.”
Sharing greetings on the occasion, Modi said in a post on X, “Greetings on Eid-ul-Adha! May this special occasion further cement the bonds of harmony and togetherness in our society. May everyone be happy and healthy.”
He also greeted the royal family and the prime minister of Kuwait, and highlighted the festival is an “integral part of India’s multicultural heritage”.
“Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi extended festive greetings to H.H the Amir, H.H the Crown Prince and H.H the Prime Minister of Kuwait on the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Adha,” the Indian Embassy in Kuwait posted on X.
In his message, Modi emphasised the values of sacrifice, compassion and brotherhood, embodied by this festival, which are “essential in building a peaceful and inclusive world”, the statement said.
The President, too, wished people in an X post in Urdu saying, “On this occasion, let us all pledge to work together in the interest of all the citizens, especially the people of the deprived sections,” Murmu added in her post in Urdu.
Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan, A Revanth Reddy, Champai Soren, and M K Stalin, and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha
are among other state leaders who greeted the Muslim community on the occasion. In Srinagar, three former chief ministers — Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti — offered prayers at the Hazratbal Shrine where more than 50,000 people gathered for prayers on the occasion,
officials said. With agency inputs
