Muslims in Kerala celebrate Eid

Muslims in Kerala on Wednesday celebrated Eid ul-Fitr with religious fervour at the end of Ramzan, the 30-day period of fasting.Since it rained in the state's northern districts on Wednesday morning, devout Muslims at many places had to remain indoors for the morning prayers. In this capital city the morning prayers were held at a stadium.

The biggest crowds were witnessed in the Muslim dominated areas like Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur. Crowds could also be seen during the morning hours in the cities like Kochi and the state capital.

There were separate enclosures for women and children at all the prayer centres.

Superstar Mammootty turned up at a mosque in Kochi along with his actor son Dulqar Salman and sat among the people to say his prayers.

Mutton and beef stalls was crowded at most of the places as people were seen queuing up to get their requirements for the day.

The price of mutton has touched Rs 650 per kg while beef was priced at Rs 300 since Tuesday evening.

The state government has declared a two-day holiday for all educational institutions and for government offices on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr.

Muslims comprise 88.73 lakh (41.76 lakh males, 46.97 lakh females) of Kerala's 3.34 crore (1.60 crore males, 1.73 crore females) population.