Staff Reporter
The preparations for Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu communi-ty, are underway across Bangladesh with Maha Shashthi scheduled for October 16.
This year, the govern-ment has extended the Durga Puja holiday to three days in executive order in response to longstanding demands from the Hindu commu-nity. This will make the event more enthusiastic and joyful this year.
Combined with the regu-lar Friday and Saturday weekend holidays, the extension will provide a total five-day break be-tween October 20 and 24.
“We gratefully welcome the government decision to announce three-day Durga Puja holidays to allow the Hindus to cele-brate the festival with much enthusiasm,” Ma-hanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee general secre-tary Suvasish Kumar Biswas Sadhan told yes-terday.
He said home goers will face no hassle this year as the holidays have been extended.
However, Sadhan de-manded permanently announcing three-day Durga Puja holidays from the next year in-stead of announcing hol-idays in executive order to recognize and imple-ment the longstanding demand of the communi-ty.
Bangladesh Hindu Bud-dhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) has also welcomed the deci-sion declaring three-day Durga Puja holidays at a stretch.
“Through this, a long-standing demand of the minority communities has been fulfilled,” said Manindra Kumar Natha, joint secretary general of BHBCUC.
Puja committees, temples and mandaps across the country are busy com-pleting preparations for the five-day festival, in-cluding construction and decoration of pandals, installation of idols, lighting arrangements and preparations for reli-gious and cultural pro-grams.
Authorities and local communities are also working to ensure securi-ty and smooth movement of devotees and visitors throughout the celebra-tions.
Durga Puja will formally begin with Maha Shashthi on October 16 and continue through Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami and Maha Na-vami before concluding with Bijaya Dashami on October 21.
On the final day, devo-tees will bid farewell to Goddess Durga and take the idols in processions to designated rivers, ponds and other water bodies for immersion, known as Bisarjan.
The festival carries deep religious and cultural significance for Bangla-desh’s Hindu communi-ty.
It commemorates the victory of Goddess Dur-ga over the demon king Mahishasura and sym-bolizes the triumph of good over evil. Accord-ing to Hindu mythology, Mahishasura, empowered by a boon that made him invulnerable to men, be-came a threat to the gods.
The gods combined their divine powers to create Goddess Durga, who fought and ultimately defeated him.
On October 10, Maha-laya, an auspicious occa-sion that heralds the ad-vent of Goddess Durga, will be celebrated through different rituals by members of Hindu community across the country.
With celebration of Ma-halaya, the countdown of the festival will begin.
Dhakeshwari National Temple will host a series of cultural and religious program in the dawn on that day.
The main rituals of Dur-ga Puja will begin on Maha Shashthi with Kal-parambha and the cere-monial unveiling, or Bo-dhan, of the goddess’s idol.
Maha Saptami will fea-ture the Nabapatrika, or Kola Bou, ritual, in which nine plants repre-senting different forms of the goddess are ceremo-nially bathed and wor-shipped.
Maha Ashtami will be marked by the important Sandhi Puja, performed at the transition between Ashtami and Navami, while Maha Navami will feature the concluding major worship rituals and bhog offerings.
As the festival approach-es, mandaps in Dhaka and other parts of the country are taking shape with elaborate decora-tions, colourful lighting and artistic themes. Dev-otees and visitors are expected to gather at the mandaps throughout the celebrations to offer prayers, receive prasad and participate in reli-gious and cultural pro-grammes.
Durga Puja is observed not only as a major reli-gious occasion but also as an important part of Bangladesh’s cultural heritage.
