Thousands of devotees thronged Surat to welcome the deity of prosperity- Lord Ganesha. The ten-day-long festival kicked off with fervour and zeal across the city on Saturday.
While participating in the Ganesh Utsav, the devotees who were dressed in traditional clothes also expressed happiness over the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and hailed the Centre for its move.
"Today we are not only celebrating Ganesh Utsav but also the scrapping of Article 370. This move taken by the Central government is commendable. We are in support of this decision," said Ravi Kharadi, the organiser of Ganesh Utsav.
People from every nook and corner of Surat came to welcome Lord Ganesha. Several pandals have been set up, markets are offering colourful idols, fruits and flowers are bustling and sweet shops are selling mouth-watering 'motichoor laddoo' to the devotees.