Durga Puja to end with immersion of idols today

The five-day Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community and a few small ethnic groups, will end today, Sunday with immersion of the idols of Goddess Durga and her children in water bodies across the country amid festivity.

The idols of Goddess Durga and her offspring - Ganesha, Karitik, Laxmi and Saraswati - will be immersed in the evening. Before emersion of the idols, Goddess Durga will be bade farewell by ‘Darpan Bisharjan’ (symbolic immersion by capturing the reflection of the idols in a bowl of water) in the morning.

Amid tight security, idols from Puja Mandaps in the city and its outskirts will be immersed in the Buriganga and the Turag rivers.

Marking Bijaya Dashami, a colorful procession will be brought out from the Dhakeshwari National Temple before immersion of idols, which will parade different streets of the capital and then end at Sadarghat.

Leaders of various political parties and organisations including BNP have extended greetings to the Hindu community on the occasion of Bijaya Dashami.

The five-day annual celebration started with unveiling of the face of the Goddess and ‘Kalparambho’ on Maha Shasthi on Wednesday, 9 October, at temples across the country amid festivity and religious fervor.

Earlier, the incarnation ‘Bodhon’ of the Goddess Durga happened ahead of the puja on the day of Maha Panchami on Tuesday, 8 October.

During the five-day celebration, recitation of verses from the Holy Chandi, blowing of conch shells and beating of traditional drums at temples and Mandaps were held while a festive mood was witnessed among the devotees irrespective of ages marking the festival.

As per the Puja schedule, Maha Nabami Puja was celebrated Saturday across the country. Maha Nabami is believed to be the day when Durga defeated the evil Mahishasura and the Nabami rituals begin with a ‘Mahasnan’ and a ‘Shodashopachar’ Puja.

According to the information of the Bangladesh Puja Uthjapon Parishad, Puja celebration was held at 31,461 Puja Mandaps across the country this year, including 252 Puja Mandaps in the capital.

Like previous year, special security arrangements have been made across the country including the capital this year to celebrate Durga Puja in a peaceful atmosphere.