Staff Reporter:
Sharadiya Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangalee Hindu community, begins today with invocation of Goddess Durga on the day of Maha Shasthi at temples and makeshift mandaps across the country amid due religious fervor and festivity.
The annual five-day festival will commence with Kalparambho in the morning today which will be fol-lowed by various other rites including Adhibash, Amantran (invitation) in the late afternoon.
On October 10, the second day of the celebration, Maha Saptami puja will be held in the morning as nabapatrika, nine plants including a banana tree tied together and wrapped in a white saree with red bor-ders, and bathed in the water of the holy Ganges will be placed next to Ganesha on that day.
On the third day of Maha Ashtami on October 11, different rituals including Ashtami puja, offering An-jali, Kumari Puja and Sandhi Puja will be held in the morning.
Maha Nabami tithi will also begin on the same day this year and it will last till 6:12am on October 12. So rituals of Maha Nabami will be performed on the both days.
Rituals of Dashami Puja will also be held on both October 12 and 13 this year.
The festival will end on October 13 with immersion of idols in nearby rivers or ponds. Generally, the largest immersion is held at the world’s largest sea beach Cox’sbazar every year.
According to legend, Goddess Durga arrives on earth from heaven during the puja . This year, the Goddess will arrive on palanquin.
This year, the government has extended Durga Puja holidays for one more day on Thursday (October 10) to facilitate the Hindus to celebrate their festival amidst much enthusiasm.
This year Durga Puja will be celebrated at 31,461 puja mandaps across the country including 252 in the capital.
Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad (BPUP) general secretary Santosh Sharma said apart from law en-forcement agencies, volunteers will be deployed in all puja mandaps across the country during the festi-val.
