PM Modi, other leaders wish nation on Guru Purnima

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended his greetings to the people of the country on the occasion of Guru Purnima.

"On the auspicious day of Guru Purnima, we bow in reverence to all our Gurus who have played an important role in inspiring, moulding and shaping our society" the Prime Minister tweeted.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also greeted the nation on the occasion tweeting, "On this auspicious day of Guru Purnima, let us all pay 'pranams' to our revered Gurus & continue to follow the noble precepts & practices taught by them."

Earlier, the HRD Ministry had launched a selfie campaign to encourage people to celebrate the festival with their teachers.

"To mark the occasion of Guru Purnima, Union HRD Minister RP Nishank today launched a people's campaign 'Selfie with Guru' inviting participation from all to post their selfie with their teachers on social media and highlight the importance of teachers in our lives," the HRD Ministry had tweeted.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi also conveyed their wishes on Twitter on this occasion.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Guru Purnima is the occasion of celebrating our teachers. This festival inspires us to offer respect and gratitude to those great men who take us to enlightenment and through their knowledge, renunciation and penance, show a new path to society, nation and the world. Best wishes to all of this holy festival."

"Today is Guru Purnima. Teachers teach us everything we know. That is why people go to temples, offer prayers to their teachers and take holy dips in rivers to celebrate the festival," said a devotee Naresh Pal Singh.

Devotees from across the country converged at Triveni Sangam here in large numbers to offer prayers and take a holy dip in the river on the occasion of Guru Purnima.

Devotees also visited Haridwar and Sai Temple in Nagpur to offer their prayers.

The day of the full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh (June-July) of the Hindu calendar is traditionally celebrated as Guru Purnima. The festival is celebrated by the Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. It is a festival dedicated to honouring one's spiritual and academic teachers.

The celebration is marked by ritualistic respect to the guru called 'Guru Puja'.

The Buddhists celebrate the festival in honour of the Lord Buddha, who dedicated his life to enlightenment. On the other hand, most Hindus celebrate the festival in honour of the great sage Vyasa, known as one of the greatest gurus of ancient Hindu traditions.