Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The women of the city could be seen standing in long queues outside Goddess Sheetla Mata Temple and Holika Dahan sites across the city from early morning on Thursday.
Women were celebrating Sheetla Saptami, a religious festival that falls on Chaitra Maas Saptami of the Hindu calendar. On this day women perform ‘pooja’ of Goddess Sheetla Mata and offer her ‘Thanda Khana’ (preserved day-old food) that they prepare the night before, people also consume the food prepared the previous day throughout the day and don’t prepare any food during that day.
Newlyweds also worship the goddess and offer prayers at the temple. The festival falls seven days after the festival of Holi .