The Haj is one of the world's largest religious gatherings. (Representational)
The first flight from Saudi Arabia carrying 298 Hajj pilgrims returned to Lucknow today at 4:36 pm. Haj pilgrims were welcomed by the Uttar Pradesh Hajj committee's chairman Mohsin Raza at Lucknow airport.
This year around twenty thousand Hajj pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh went for the annual Islamic pilgrimage in Mecca. Upon their return, pilgrims praised the government and Hajj authorities for the better facilities provided to them in Mecca and Medina.
Mohsin Raza told news agency ANI that this year the service given to pilgrims was magnificent and thus all the pilgrims returning to their homes are praising the Yogi-led government and Modi-led Central government.
The Haj is one of the world's largest religious gatherings and the major annual event in Saudi Arabia. It is considered one of the five pillars of Islam.
The pilgrimage consists of various elaborate rites, such as wearing unique clothing that represents human equality and unity before God, a round, counter-clockwise march around the Kaaba, and the symbolic stoning of wickedness.
People who have completed the pilgrimage might add the words al-Haj or hajji (pilgrim) to their names.
Saudi Arabia has committed billions of dollars over the last decade to improve transportation, technology, and accommodations for Haj pilgrims, which are a major source of revenue for the world's largest oil producer.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)