PATNA, March 28 -- A flood of devotees, including political leaders like chief minister Nitish Kumar, his deputies and cabinet colleagues, state governor Lt. Gen. (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, party's state unit chief Sanjay Saraogi and others, thronged temples and took part in "sobha yatras' to mark the occasion of Ram Navami in Patna on Friday. The festival, that celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, passed off peacefully, with chants of Jai Shri Ram and Jai Siya Ram reverberating throughout the day. The temple gates of most of the temples, including the grand Mahavir Mandir, in capital Patna were opened at 2pm and they were soon filled with deluge of devotees. Despite occasional rain during the day, the spirit of faithful didn't dampen. The secretary of the temple trust, Sain Kunal, and member judge Justice Sanjay Kumar, took part in the prayers as priest Pandit Jatesh Jha chanted Vedic mantras. Later, all faithfuls, including politicians and other VIPs, took part in the offering and said their prayers. The ritual of darshan of statues of Lord Ram continued until late in the night. Ram Jamotsav Samiti, a local outfit, took out a sobha yatra-a procession-with caparisoned elephants and horses from Mangal Talab to Gaurishankar temple at Gaighat. The yatra started from Mangal Talab and moved through Patna Sahib railway station, Malsalami, Hajiganj, Chowk, Machharhatta, Khajekalan, City Court and culminated at Gaurishankar temple at Gaighat. It comprised men, women and children. A total of 52 Ram Navami tableaus from different parts of Patna were felicitated by the CM, Nitin Nabin and other leaders at the city's Dak Bungalow Chauraha. An estimated 500,000 to 700,000 devotees gathered there. To ensure safety and smooth traffic management, extensive security arrangements were put in place, including CCTV surveillance, establishment of a central control room, and a large presence of police personnel. The chief minister extended greetings to the people on the occasion. He said Lord Ram's life symbolises love for humanity, harmony, tolerance, sacrifice and righteousness, and wished people a joyful and peaceful celebration....