New Delhi: The century's first solar eclipse occurred on May 31 morning and was visible in many parts of Northern India where devotees thronged to take a holy dip in various sacred rivers.

The eclipse was visible between 07.35 hours to 08.39 hours (IST) in Delhi, Jaipur, Srinagar, Agra and Haryana.

In Haryana thousands of devotees, including women and children, took holy dip in Sannehit and Brahm Sarovars in Kurukshetra amid tight security.

According to Hindu mythology, it is believed whoever takes dip on the occasion of solar eclipse in the two `sarovars' (ponds) attains salvation.

This is the first solar eclipse of the millennium seen from India, Nehru Planetarium officials said.

The country's first solar eclipse falls into the category of annular eclipse, different from a total eclipse in which the sun is fully eclipsed by the moon and only the corona, the outer radiation of the sun, is visible from the earth. In this eclipse, Indians saw 20 per cent of the sun as eclipsed. The eclipse was visible from several parts of the world.

PTI