Devotees celebrate Basant Panchami with traditional fervour

Today is Basant Panchami, the day dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning Saraswati while this auspicious day also signify the arrival of Basant (Spring) after winter season.

The festival celebrates Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art, and falls on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring.

To mark the festival children are taught to write their first words; brahmins are fed; ancestor worship (Pitr-tarpan) is performed; the god of love Kamadeva is worshipped; and most educational institutions organise special prayer.

The color yellow also plays an important role in this festival, in that people usually wear yellow garments, Saraswati is worshipped dressed in yellow, and yellow sweets are consumed within the families.

Also known as Saraswati Puja, this festival is celebrated to invoke wisdom and consciousness in human beings.