Rajshahi puja ends amidst immersion of Durga images

Publish: 6:48 PM, October 26, 2020 | Update: 6:48 PM, October 26, 2020

RAJSHAHI, – The-five-day Sharadiya Durga Puja, the most sacred festival of the Bengali Hindus ended today with immersion of the images of Goddess Durga in the river Padma.

The last day rituals of the festival was celebrated amid much enthusiasm and festivity. ‘Prasad’ and sweets were distributed among the devotees as well as people belonging to other communities, who visited the Puja Mandaps.

Marking the Bijoya Dashami, women devotees were seen pasting vermillion (Sindur) on the forehead of Goddess Durga and exchanged themselves too amid joyous and festive mood.

This year for the first time, the idols were taken to the river Padma, ponds, canals and other water bodies for immersion with special arrangements instead of any colourful procession, dancing and singing `kirton’ due to the novel coronavirus COVID 19 pandemic .

However, thousands of devotees joined the ritual when the idols were being carried to the nearby rivers particularly from all mandaps or makeshift pavilions for immersion.

Members of police, RAB, BGB and Ansar-VDP were on round-the-clock duty since arrival of Durga on this earth .

The officials, politicians and leaders of different socio-cultural organizations including Fazley Hossain Badsha, MP, and Zila Parishad Chairman Muhammad Ali Sarker visited different puja mandaps.

The festival was celebrated in 3,419 puja mandaps in all eight districts under Rajshahi division including 87 in Rajshahi city.

Each puja mandaps was given 500 kilograms of rice on behalf of the respective district administrations for smooth celebration of the puja in the division this year.

Rajshahi City Corporation has also donated TK 10,000 in city’s 76 puja mandaps each for successful celebration of the festival.