Devotees converge to temples as Navaratri begins

It was 'curtains-up' for the nine-day long Hindu festival of Navaratri in India on Saturday. To herald the occasion, thousands of devout Hindus throughout India, queued up at various temples dedicated to Goddess Durga who is also known by several names such as Chamundeshwari, Parameshwari, and Mookambika among others. In New Delhi, devotees converged at Jhandewalan to offer prayers prior to the dawn and observed fast throughout the day.