A priest helps a child to start writing on the occasion of 'Basant Panchami' festival, in Bhopal. Vasant Panchami marks the start of preparation for Holika and Holi, which take place forty days later.
An artisan gives finishing touches to an idol of Goddess Saraswati ahead of 'Basant Panchami' festival, on the outskirts of Amritsar. Vasant Panchami is the festival dedicated to goddess Saraswati who is the goddess of knowledge, language, music, and all arts.
Hindu holy men burn cow-dung cakes as they perform a ritual on the occasion of Basant Panchami festival during the annual religious 'Magh Mela' festival at Sangam, in Prayagraj.
Devotees play with 'gulaal' to mark the Basant Panchami festival at Sri Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan, Mathura.
Hindu devotees take holy dip in the Ganga river on the occasion of Basant Panchami festival. Around 25.5 lakh people took a dip in the Ganga and at the holy Sangam till noon.
Students offer prayer to Goddess Saraswati on the occasion of 'Basant Panchami' festival, at a school in Bhubaneswar.
Devotees offer prayer to Goddess Saraswati on the occasion of 'Saraswati Puja' festival, in Bengaluru.
Young women click selfies during 'Saraswati Puja' celebrations, in Nagaon district.
Students of Sanskrit College make 'rangoli' on the eve of 'Saraswati Puja', in Calcutta.
Devotees participate in the Rath Yatra of Lord Raghunath on the occasion of Basant Panchami, at Dhalpur in Kullu.
Students of Banaras Hindu University participate in a procession on the occasion of 'Basant Panchami', in Varanasi.
People fly kites during the 'Basant Panchami' festival, in Jalandhar.