Hundreds of Hindus from across the country came to Rochester on Saturday for the Ganesh Festival.

The colourful day celebrates the birthday of Lord Ganesh and attracted Hindus from as far as Wembley, Croydon and Leicester.

Ganesh is worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

Ganesh festival

The festival was organised by the Medway Hindu Mandir in Canterbury Street, Gillingham.

Ajay Attra, general secretary of the temple, said: “We had around 600 to 700 people there.

“It went really well. It’s turned into a really big event. This is the fourth year we’ve done it and it’s grown.

“In our first year we had 150 people. It has the potential to be a national event.”

As well as the parade which started at Rochester Pier, there were a number of stalls including representatives from Kent Police and the NHS who were offering advice about diabetes and heart disease as well as Closet Krishna, a charity shop and meditation centre based in Rochester.

There were also traditional Indian dances and guests were treated to a free meal.

For more pictures see today's Medway Messenger, and this Friday's edition.