The nation on Wednesday paid homage to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 144th birth anniversary.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other political leaders offered floral tributes at his memorial 'Raj Ghat' here.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart Lal Krishna Advani also paid floral tributes at the 'Raj Ghat'.
Leaders of various religions offered prayers at the 'Gandhi samadhi' while a large number of people including school children visited Rajghat and observed a minute's silence to pay their homage.
The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, popularly known as the 'Father of the Nation', is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 with reverence all over the country.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as 'Bapu', or Gandhiji, was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbander, Gujarat.
The United Nations had declared in 2007 that October 2 would be observed as 'International Day of Non-Violence'.
