Many parts of India like Odisha, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Maharastra are witnessing the final solar eclipse of the decade. This happened on 26th December.
The solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth started at 8:17 am on Thursday and ended at 10:57 am. Nicknamed “The Ring of Fire” or “Surya Grahan” in Hindi, the solar eclipse has a very deep meaning set in the Indian cultural context.
Special prayers and pujas are done on this day and people generally avoid eating any food during this time. The Birla Mandir closed their doors in the morning and will reopen them at 12 pm for devotees to offer prayers.
People also came and flocked near Ganga Ghat in Varanasi to offer prayers and to take a dip in the holy Ganges.
According to experts, one must not look at the sun directly while the solar eclipse is on as it can harm the eyes severely. Proper protection like solar filters and pinhole cameras should be used.
Apart from India, other countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Qatar, UAE, etc also witnessed the solar eclipse this year.
PM Modi also took part in watching the eclipse though he stated that his glasses did not work and he could not catch it in person but he did watch it live on television. A photo posted by him on Instagram shows him being immersed in the topic.
A Twitter user “Gapppistan radio” tweeted “This is becoming a meme” replying to PM Modi’s post to which PM Modi swiftly replied, “Most welcome….enjoy :)”.
