New Delhi, Sep 21 - From Srinagar to Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai to Kolkata, India celebrated Eid Monday with millions of Muslims congregating at prayer grounds and mosques to bow down as one before Allah, greeting each other with the traditional embrace and gathering at homes for the festive feast.

From the common person to the film star, Eid was celebrated with equal fervour by all. Celebrated on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal, Eid-ul-Fitr -- Eid is an Arabic word meaning 'festivity' while Fitr means 'charity' -- marks the end of the period of fasting during the holy month of Ramzan. Hindus, too, joined in the fun while observing the nine-day navratri, which culminates in Dussehra Sep 28.

In Jammu and Kashmir, thousands gathered at grounds and mosques to offer a prayer for peace. Srinagar's famed Hazratbal shrine, the polo grounds and the Jamia mosque saw the largest number of devotees.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father, union minister Farooq Abdullah, offered prayers at the Hazratbal shrine.

At many places in the city, paramilitary troopers were seen greeting the locals and children as a goodwill gesture.

'I have been manning this picket for so many months now that I recognise most of the residents in this area. It is nice to see people enjoying life today,' said a trooper in Srinagar.

The narrow lanes of old Delhi in the national capital were abuzz with activity right from morning. After their prayers, people visited each other's homes, exchanging gifts and sweets while enjoying delicacies like kebabs, biryani and specially made sevian, or vermicelli.

In Madhya Pradesh, clerics stressed on communal harmony and the need to root out terrorism in their sermons.

Prayers were held at the main Namaz Eidgah in Bhopal, where Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also visited to greet devotees. Shara Qazi Amirullah Khan, who led the prayers, said: 'May Allah give us strength to fight out terrorism.'

In Mumbai, children and adults met their Hindu friends and hugged each other with wishes of 'Eid mubarak'.

Attired in traditional finery, Muslims thronged mosques for the Eid namaz. They then shared sweets like 'sheer-korma'- a dish prepared from vermicelli, garnished with dry fruits.

Similar festivities were seen in Pune, Nashik, Malegaon, Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra.