MORE than 500 people joined in a feast of music, rhythm and colour as a night of celebrations came to Bolton.

The town’s Hindu community took to the dance floor for the Sharad Purnima Na Garba event on Saturday.

It marked one of the biggest events in the Hindu calendar, a religious celebration held on the day of the full moon every October.

Organised by the Bolton Hindu Forum, members of Bolton’s different Hindu temples — as well as other members of the community — came together for an evening of dance at Bolton College.

As well as traditional dancing, attendees enjoyed sweet treats, including cake from Bolton’s Little Cheesecake Factory, prayer and shared the celebrations on social media.

Paras Agravat, of Bolton Hindu Forum, said: “Right now it is the festival season for us, we have got a lot of festivities happening.

“This is the big finale where all the different groups from the temples around Bolton come and celebrate together on a grand scale.

“There were 500 people-plus, there and it was the first time Bolton College has ever hired out the sports hall for a cultural event. It is the start of a good partnership.

“It is rare for the whole community to get together when so many temples each doing their own thing, but this is one of our biggest weeks.

“It wasn’t just Bolton Hindus either, but people from the wider community, which was brilliant to see! Not only does everyone join in the celebrations, but it also helps raise awareness.”

Festivities kicked off at the beginning of the month with the popular and social Hindu festival of Navratri which takes place over nine days and celebrates God in the form of the ‘universal mother’, known as Durga, Devi or Shakti.

Saturday’s event is a type of harvest festival and is based on the Hindu story of Lord Krishna who, one night of the full moon, is believed to have used his divine powers to manifest himself multiple times so he could dance with all his devotees.

As well as taking to the dance floor, the attendees raised more than £400 for the Royal Bolton Hospital Breast Cancer Care unit with a raffle.

Later this month the Hindu community around Bolton will prepare for the Hindu New Year, known as Diwali. The festival of light begins on October 30 and is one of the biggest celebrations for Hindus. Temples will be decorated for five days.