Mangaluru: Eid-ul-Adha, the festival symbolising sacrifice, devotion and compassion, was celebrated with great religious fervour and joy across Mangaluru on Thursday.

Thousands of devotees gathered at mosques and Eidgahs and masjids across Mangaluru and surrounding areas to offer special Eid prayers and listen to sermons highlighting the values of sacrifice, faith and unity.

At the Eidgah Mosque on Light House Hill Road, the Eid congregation was led by Qadhi Twaqa Ahmed Musliyar, who delivered the Khutba. The Eid prayer was led by Syed Shamshuddin Basith Alavi Thangal Al Ansari, Khateeb of Zeenat Bakhsh Mosque.

Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader and Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy visited the venue and conveyed Eid greetings to the community.

Several office-bearers and members of the Eidgah and Central Jumma Masjid administration committee were present on the occasion, including president Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi, vice-president K. Ashraf, general secretary Muhammed Hanif Haji and treasurer S.M. Rasheed Haji.

At Ullal Central Jumma Masjid, Eid prayers and Khutba were conducted under the leadership of Khateeb Hafiz Abdul Majeed Faizy Hikami Sakafi.

Across Dakshina Kannada district, Muslims were seen participating in congregational prayers at mosques and Eidgahs, listening to Eid sermons and exchanging greetings with relatives, neighbours and friends in a spirit of harmony and brotherhood.

Special Eid prayers were also held at several prominent mosques in Mangaluru, including Masjid Taqwa at Pumpwell, Masjidun Noor at Hampankatta, Ibrahim Khalil Mosque at State Bank, Rahmania Jumma Masjid at Kankanady, Ihsan Mosque at Vas Lane, Fawzia Jumma Masjid at Police Lane in Pandeshwar, Kacchi Memon Jumma Masjid and Badria Jumma Masjid in Bunder, Muhiyuddin Jumma Masjid at Bolar, Jamia Jumma Masjid at Kudroli and Ahsanul Masaajid at Bikarnakatte, besides other mosques and Eidgahs across the district.

People of all age groups, from children to elders, dressed in new clothes, applied attar and celebrated the festival with traditional delicacies and family gatherings.

Following the Eid prayers and Khutba, many visited graveyards to offer prayers for the departed members of their families. Later, families and friends continued the celebrations by visiting each other’s homes and exchanging Eid greetings.