Lucknow, March 19 -- Devotees thronged temples across several cities on the first day of Chaitra Navratri, offering prayers and seeking blessings.

In Gorakhpur, people visited Golghar Kali Mandir, while in Lucknow, devotees gathered at Maa Chandrika Devi Temple to offer prayers. Similar scenes were witnessed at Maa Amba Temple in Surat, where devotees arrived early to participate in rituals.

In the national capital, worshippers queued up at Jhandewalan Temple to mark the beginning of the nine-day festival.

In Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, devotees marked the Hindu New Year by chanting mantras, offering prayers to the Sun god and blowing conch shells on the banks of the Shipra River.

Chaitra Navratri marks the beginning of the nine-day fest...