Durga Puja begins with Maha Shashthi

Sharadiya Durga Puja, the principal religious festival of Bangladesh’s Hindu community, begins nationwide today, Friday, October 16, with Maha Shashthi, ushering in six days of festivities that will culminate in idol immersion on Bijoya Dashami on October 21.

The festival traditionally spans five days, from Maha Shashthi to Bijoya Dashami, but an unusual alignment of lunar dates has stretched this year’s ceremonial calendar to six. According to the programme, Maha Saptami will be observed on Saturday, followed by an additional Saptami observance on Sunday, Maha Ashtami and Kumari Puja on Monday, and Maha Navami on Tuesday. Subsequently, the celebrations will conclude on Wednesday with Bijoya Dashami and the immersion of the Durga idols. According to Hindu belief, the goddess descends each year from her celestial abode on Mount Kailash to visit her parental home on Earth, a journey that symbolises the triumph of good over evil.

The Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad reports that 33,851 puja mandaps, or worship venues, have been arranged nationwide this year, an increase of 496 on the previous year. In Dhaka city, however, the number has fallen by three to 258, because permission was not granted to hold celebrations on roads. The goddess is believed to arrive on horseback and depart by boat this year. Moreover, Hindu mythology holds that Durga emerged from the combined divine energies of the gods after demonic forces had driven them from heaven, her purpose being to vanquish evil and restore cosmic order.

Read More: Border Guard deploys for Durga Puja security

Across the country, devotees will observe the festival through rituals, prayers and a wide array of cultural activities at temples and temporary worship venues. Meanwhile, the authorities and festival organisers are expected to oversee arrangements throughout the celebrations. The festivities will reach their climax on Bijoya Dashami, when the idols are immersed, bringing this year’s Durga Puja to a close.