Chandigarh, Jun 21 (IANS): Thousands of people partcipated in third International Yoga Day events organised at various places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday.

In Chandigarh, the main event was held at the Sector 17 Plaza where scores of people turned up to do yoga.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, Punjab Governor and Union Territory Administrator V.P. Singh Badnore, and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher joined nearly 3,000 people in the Yoga Day event.

Nadda said yoga was "good for purity of body and mind and encourages healthy lifestyle".

In Haryana, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar led hundreds of people in the main event at Indri town in Karnal district.

Ministers of the Haryana government attended the day's functions at other district headquarters.

In Punjab, which has a Congress government, a few functions were held in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Bathinda. Union Ministers Harshvardhan and Harsimrat Kaur Badal attended the Yoga Day events in Amritsar and Bathinda.

Chandigarh was the main venue of the second International Yoga Day event last year with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading thousands of yoga enthusiasts in the main event held at the city's iconic Capitol Complex.