Home ›› 02 Oct 2022 ›› Governance
Durga puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindus, began on Saturday, with the incarnation (bodhon) of the Goddess in temples across the country.
The five-day festival will culminate with the immersion of idols on October 5.
Mahasaptami puja will be held on Sunday (October 2), while Mahashtami puja, Kumari puja and Sandhi puja are slated for Monday (October 3).
Mahanabami puja will be held on Tuesday (October 4) and Bijoya Dashami is on Wednesday (October 5).
Be it the minority Hindus or the majority Muslims, all use this opportunity to throng pandals, dance to the sounds of the dhak (a special percussion instrument) and indulge in delectable bhog during the festival.
The Mahalaya, the auspicious occasion heralding the advent of the Goddess Durga, was celebrated on September 25.
In the capital Dhaka, the main puja mandaps are at Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramkrishna Mission and Math, Kalabagan, Banani, Shakhari Bazar and Ramna Kali Mandir.
In major divisional cities including port city Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet and district towns including Faridpur, Dinajpur, Jashore, Kushtia, Satkhira, also witness massive celebration of Durga Puja.
Puja shopping also got momentum in the last week ahead of Puja as major markets and malls were crowded with customers. Many people are still busy in puja shopping on the last day before Puja.
Durga Puja signifies the birth of Durga with the blessings of gods, as a collective energy, to fight the demon king Mahishasura.
Exquisitely crafted and decorated life-size clay idols of the Goddess Durga depicting her slaying the demon Mahishasura have been set up in temples and Durga Puja mandaps ahead of the celebration.
These idols will be worshiped for five days and immersed in the river on the fifth day. The puja is performed in temples, homes and temporary mandaps.
The celebrations also include other major deities of Hinduism such as goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth, prosperity), Saraswati (goddess of knowledge and music), Ganesha (god of good beginnings) and Kartikeya (god of war).
Stringent security measures have been taken across the country during the celebration of Durga Puja to avert any untoward situation.
This year, Durga puja will be held at 32,168 mandaps across the country, including 241 in the capital.
Adequate security measures have been taken for smooth and peaceful celebrations of the festival, according to police.
Additional personnel of the police force Ansar, the Rapid Action Battalion and other law enforcement agencies have been roped in for deployment in puja mandaps to ensure full-proof security.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages, greeting the members of the country’s Hindu community on this occasion.
In his message, President Hamid said the main religious festival of the Bengali Hindus is Durga Puja.
“The country’s Hindu community has been celebrating the puja amid huge enthusiasm and festivity with different rituals since ancient times. Durga puja is not only a religious festival, but also a social one.
“Communal harmony is the eternal tradition of the Bengalis. This tradition must be carried forward in our overall progress together,” the president said.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that Durga puja is not only a festival of the Hindu community, “it is now a universal festival”.
