Srinagar, Nov 5: Diwali – the festival of lights – was celebrated across the state Friday. Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs in the Valley lit lamps and thronged temples and Gurudwaras today to celebrate the festival.
Despite curfew in some parts of the city, Hindus visited the temples this morning to offer special prayers.
Sikhs also visited various Gurudwaras in the Valley to offer prayers.
Security forces also offered prayers in make-shift temples in their camps and illuminated their bunkers. Fire crackers were burst across the Valley in evening by security forces to celebrate Diwali.
However, some minority organisations had called for "simple Diwali celebrations" in view of the recent unrest in the valley, which left over 100 people dead and thousands injured. About 350 Hindu families from the border town of Uri in North Kashmir's Baramulla district, offered prayers at the Pandava temple at Lagaama, 90 kms from here, on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.
Some shops in the city had erected special stalls to sell the Diwali merchandise while confectionery and sweets outlets witnessed brisk sales during the day.
Soon after dusk, the Hindus and Sikhs in the Valley illuminated their homes and shops with oil lamps, candles and electric decoratives.
Hurriyat Conference, headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani had exempted the day from protests following an appeal from a Sikh organisation in view of the festival.

GUV, FIRST LADY CELEBRATE DIWALI
The Governor, NN Vohra, and the First Lady, Usha Vohra, celebrated Diwali with the staff of the Governor’s Secretariat and the security personnel in the magnificent Raj Bhavan lawns at Jammu.
The Governor, and the First Lady, extended warm Diwali greetings and offered sweets to all those assembled on the occasion.
The Governor on the occasion, prayed for peace, progress, prosperity, harmony and amity in the State.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 5 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 5 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST