India   April 20, 2014: Devout Hindus paid obeisance at temples in northern India as nine-day fasting festival, ‘Navratri’, marked in honour of goddess Durga, concluded. Devotees thronged temples in New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh state to sought blessings of the goddess on the Hindu festival of ‘Ram Navami’. According to the legends, Lord Rama sought blessings of goddess of power, Durga, before waging a war against a demon king Ravana. ‘Ram Navami’ is also one of the most important festivals of the Vaishnava sect of the Hindus. On this day, temples are decorated and the idols of Lord Rama, his wife, Sita and his brother Lakshman, are richly adorned.

Devotees, both young and old, visit the temples and made offerings of sweets, flowers and fruits. The festival falls on the ninth-day of the moonlit fortnight in the months of March-April. Most people consider it an auspicious day and some even observe a strict fast a day earlier. It is believed that Lord Rama was born to eradicate evil from the earth. His saga is depicted in the Ramayana scripture.