VARANASI: The millennia-old city welcomed the Nav Samvastar 2067 of Hindu calendar in its own style holding a series of programmes at the ghats and different other places on Tuesday.

To greet the rising Sun of the Hindu New Year, vedic students of Shri Vidya Mutt assembled on the Shakaracharya Ghat at dawn and performed yogik ashanas. The programme was organised under the auspices of Vidyashree Dharmarth Nyas, founded by the Shankaracharya of Jyotish and Dwarka Sharda peeth's Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati to propagate and preserve the oriental wisdom and Indian culture.

The programme began with Ganesh Vandana and people offered arghya to Sun God wishing for the wellbeing of the world. The function was also attended by DIG DK Thakur, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the disciple of Shankaracharya, astrology scholar Dr Atul Tandon and others.

In a similar programme, 101 vedic students of Annapurna Mutt temple and other devotees offered arghya to the rising Sun amidst chanting of vedic mantras at Ramkund in Luxa. District judge VN Shukla attended the programme. To give a musical touch to the occasion, Ustad Jamin Hussain performed Shehnai recital. The programme was organised by Samkalp, a social organisation.

Another social organisation, Matrishakti Seva Sansthan, celebrate the occasion in a different way by distributing Tulsi plants among people at Hanuman temple, Orderly Bazar. Besides, programmes were also organised at Dashashwamedh Ghat and other places by different organisations to welcome the Nav Samvatsar.

On the other hand, the city also witnessed religious fervour among the people on the beginning of Chaitra Navratra. Devotees, mostly women, offered prayers at Shailputri temple on the first day of Chaitra Navratra on Tuesday.
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