Durga Puja to celebrate in 257 mandaps in Dhaka

The biggest religious festival of the country’s Hindu community Sharadiya Durga Puja will be celebrated in 257 mandaps in Dhaka this year.

The five-day Sharadiya Durgotsab will begin Wednesday with unveiling the face of the deity, according to Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad (BPUP).

The festival will end with the immersion of the idols of the Goddess Durga on Bijoya Dashami on October 13 (Sunday).

The inaugural day is called ‘Maha Shashthi’ to be featured with various rituals-Kalparambho, Adhibash and Abahon (invocation).

In the capital Dhaka, the major puja mandaps would be erected at Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramkrishna Math and Mission, Banani, Kalabagan, Shakhari Bazar, Shiddeshwari Kali Mandir, Ramna Kali Mandir, Jagannath Hall on Dhaka University campus, Khamar Bari at Farmgate and old part of Dhaka including Shakhari Bazar and Tanti Bazar.

Preparation for the five-day festival is going on in full swing at temples and makeshift puja mandaps in the capital.

Idol makers and artisans are now passing their busiest time in giving the final touch to idols.

Durga puja celebrations also include worship of other major deities of Hinduism such as goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth, prosperity), Saraswati (goddess of knowledge and music), Ganesh (god of good beginnings) and Kartik (god of war), who according to Hindu mythology are offspring of Ma Durga.

Stringent security measures will be taken across the country during the celebration of Durga Puja to avert any untoward situation.

A central police control room will be set up at the Dhakeswari temple premises for monitoring overall security at puja mandaps in the capital.