Eid-ul-Zuha, the Festival of Sacrifice, was celebrated across the country and abroad with traditional fervour and gaiety. The world wide commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. The festival comes a day after pilgrims conducting Haj,the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, descend from Mount Arafat.

In Delhi, thousands of devotees thronged the mosques across the city to offer prayers and hugged each other as an expression of brotherhood. Large gatherings were witnessed for morning prayers at Jama Masjid and Fatehpuri Masjid and people, dressed in their festive best, visited the houses of their friends and relatives and offered gifts. Our correspondent reports that nearly two lakh people attended the prayers at Fatehpuri Masjid and an equal number of people offered prayers at Jama Masjid.

In Mumbai, muslims thronged mosques across the city to offer prayers and exchange pleasantries. Special delicacies and dishes were prepared from the sacrificial meat and served amongst family and friends.

In Madhya Pradesh, Id-Uz-Zuha was celebrated with religious fervour and enthusiasm. Our Bhopal Correspondent reports that The main Id congregation was held at the Idgah where Shahar Qazi led the special Id prayer. The Id prayers were also held at various mosques including historical Tajul Masjid.

In Uttar Pradesh, special namazs were organised in different mosques and Eidgahs in the morning all over the state. Adequate security arrangements have also been made throughout the state. Huge gathering of people were seen at Aishbagh Mosque in Lucknow for Namaz in the morning while Shia community members have gathered at the Aasifi Mosque for Eid prayers. In Agra, besides many places, Namaz was also offered at the mosque situated on the premises of Taj Mahal this morning. Special namazs were also offered at different Eidgahs in Ayodhya and Faizabad. After Namaz people greeted each other and their friends of the Hindu community also.

In Andhra Pradesh, millions of devotees Clad in new clothes, have taken part in the special prayers at Masjids and Idgahs across the state. Our correspondent reports that , the biggest congregation in Hyderabad has been held at the historic Mir Alam Tank Idgah where over 2 lakh devotees offered special prayers. Historic Mecca Masjid near Charminar also witnessed a large gathering of Namajees some of whom took part in the prayers from the specially erected pandals outside as there was no space inside the masque.

In Jammu and Kashmir, muslims wearing new dresses, thronged beautifully decorated Eidgahs and Mosques right from the morning to offer special Eid prayers throughout the state. In Jammu, the main Eid-congregation was held at main Eidgah ground where thousands of Muslims offered prayers.