Devotional dancing, singing and a sumptuous feast marked the culmination of the celebrations for the Hindu festival of Navrati at the Adhya Shakti Mataji temple in Cowley on Sunday.
Nearly 1,200 devotees from various faiths and nationalities thronged the temple for the annual festival which continues over nine nights, observed for the 46th year by the temple - its fifth successive celebration at the venue in Cowley High Road.
The central theme of the festival is the triumph of good over evil. The celebrations commenced with an arti (offering of wicks soaked in ghee lamps) performed by Councillor Kuldeep Lakhmana (Lab, Pinkwell), followed by women clad in bright costumes dancing a traditional 'garba'.
Guests of honour this year were Dr Onkar Sahota, the Greater London Assembly Labour member for Ealing-Hillingdon, and Councillor Neil Fyfe (Con, Charville).
