The five-day long Sharadiyo Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangalee Hindu community, will conclude tomorrow  with the immersion of idols of Goddess Durga across the country, amid due religious fervor and solemnity.

On Bijoya Dashami, the final day of the festival, colorful processions will be brought out from temples and makeshift puja mandaps, where devotees will chant mantras, beat traditional drums (dhak-dhol), blow conch shells and perform uludhoni (ceremonial ululation) before immersing the idols in nearby rivers, ponds or other water bodies.

This year’s Durga Puja began on September 28 with Maha Shashthi, followed by Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, and Maha Nabami were celebrated on September 29, 30, and October 1 respectively.

Marking the formal beginning of the celebration, the Hindu community observed Mahalaya on September 21, symbolically inviting Goddess Durga to her maternal home on earth from Mount Kailash, along with her children – Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh, and Kartik. 

As per traditional beliefs, this year the goddess arrived on an elephant, which is considered a sign of prosperity and good harvest.

Durga Puja is being celebrated in temples and pandals across the country with devotion and grandeur, as beautifully crafted and decorated life-sized clay idols of the goddess slaying the demon Mahishasura have been set up.

Artisans spent weeks meticulously creating the idols, which stand as exquisite examples of traditional craftsmanship and religious artistry.

In the capital, prominent puja venues such as Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Ramna Kali Mandir, Azimpur Government Colony Mandap, Joykali Mandir, Sri Sri Shanidev Mandir in Shankhari Bazar, Jagannath Hall on Dhaka University campus, Siddheshwari Kali Mandir, and other areas including Banani, Kalabagan, Khamarbari, Lalbagh Rishipara, Rajarbagh, and Tanti Bazar are adorned with lights, decorations, and thematic displays.

Shopping centers and malls across the country experienced a festive rush over the past weeks as members of the Hindu community and people from all walks of life prepared for the celebrations.

According to Basudeb Dhar, President of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, the number of puja mandaps has increased this year, with 33,355 mandaps across the country and 258 in Dhaka city alone.

The interim government has allocated Tk 5 crore in support of Durga Puja celebrations this year.

To ensure the safety and smooth celebration of the festival, tight security measures have been put in place. Members of the police, Ansar, RAB, BGB, and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed across puja venues. Local volunteers are also working with law enforcers to manage crowds and maintain order.

A central control room has been set up at Dhakeshwari Temple, coordinated by the Mohanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee, to monitor the security arrangements and assist in coordination.