A partial solar eclipse was seen in the country today.  In Delhi, the Indian Capital, more than eight percent of the sun’s disc was covered by the shadow of the moon.  At seven past 6 minutes more than 47 percent of the sun was hidden.  In Chennai the eclipse was seen 8 minutes past 6 am.

The Solar Eclipse has always had religious connotations attached to it and in view of this many Hindus around the country took a dip in the river during the eclipse.  It is believed that if you bathe in the river during this time, it will protect you from the ill effects of fate.  There were also prayer services organized in temples.  The Krishna and Godavari rivers are considered auspicious for bathing during this time.

Major Hindu temples remained closed in Andhra Pradesh.  Here the eclipse lasted for more than three hours.

For the scientific minded and the curious alike the eclipse was something to be viewed with interest.  The Birla Planetarium in Hyderabad had a large number of students and others who had gathered to watch the celestial event.  Many of them were watching it for the first time.

At the Nehru Planetarium in Delhi, hundreds of people watched the eclipse through telescopes while experts explained the phenomenon.

In Orissa, people did not take food during the eclipse period. They bathed after the event and then went to temples.

These photos were clicked early morning at the banks of the river Yamuna, more precisely from the bathing Ghats.  Just off Ring Road place called Yamuna bazar.

(Article with inputs from IANS)

Ramesh Lalwani, New Delhi