CROWDS of Hindus gathered in Bolton as they celebrated a major religious festival with dances of worship.

More than 300 people descended on the Hindu temple on Thomas Holden Street, Bolton, to mark a huge event in their calendar, the Navratri Festival.

It was the seventh day of a nine-day festival held to worship the Goddess of Strength.

Celebration

Women wore their best colourful saris and men were smartly dressed as they danced to devotional songs to the beat of Indian drums.

Each dancer carried a small decorated wooden stick in a dance which represented the celebration of the victory of good over evil.

The festival was not only caught on camera by our BEN photographer, but also pupils from Turton High School who were making a video of the celebration.

Today, the temple will burn an effigy of Ravana, the Demon King.

This marks the end of the festival.