People across Kerala celebrated Vijayadasami on Friday with thousands of children, aged two to three, being initiated into the world of learning and writing.
Vijayadasmi, dedicated to goddess Saraswathi, the deity of learning, marks the end of the annual nine-day-long Navaratri festival.
Children, along with their parents, gathered in large numbers at temples of Saraswathi, schools and cultural centres where arrangements were made for the 'ezhuthiniruthu' (initiation ceremony).
Vijayadasami is observed as the day of 'Vidyarambham' the beginning of learning.