Bangla Press Desk: Devotees offered prayers to Goddess Durga on Maha Navami, accompanied by the rhythmic beats of traditional drums and the chanting of sacred mantras. After the worship and evening aarti on Navami, a sense of farewell began to fill the puja mandaps.
Today (Wednesday), Bijoya Dashami marks the conclusion of Durga Puja, the principal religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community. Following prayers, rituals, sindoor khela and other traditional ceremonies, the festival will come to an end with the immersion of idols, as devotees bid farewell to Goddess Durga. The immersion will formally conclude the six-day celebrations observed by the Hindu community.
Considering security concerns, the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council has instructed organisers to complete idol immersion before evening.
According to Hindu scriptures, King Sri Ramachandra performed the worship on Navami after defeating Ravana. The prescribed Navami rituals include offerings of blue aparajita flowers and sacrificial fire ceremonies. Worship on this day is believed to bring prosperity to humankind. The ten-armed Goddess Durga was worshipped with offerings of water lilies, lotuses and other ritual items.
Blue aparajita flowers are a special part of Maha Navami worship. Devotees offer oblations to Goddess Durga through a fire ritual using 108 bel leaves, mango wood and ghee. Dashami Puja will be held on Wednesday morning.
Dharmadas Chattopadhyay, a priest at Dhakeshwari National Temple, said the scriptural observance of Durga Puja would conclude on Bijoya Dashami with the prescribed worship, followed by darpan bisarjan, a ritual symbolic immersion performed using a mirror.
During Dashami Puja, the goddess is worshipped with offerings that include jute, betel leaves and water lilies. After the formal rituals, devotees take part in sindoor khela, the traditional vermilion-smearing ceremony. Following the evening aarti on Maha Navami, an atmosphere of farewell began to spread across the puja mandaps as devotees continued to pray to the goddess. After completing the worship of Durga, the destroyer of evil and slayer of Mahishasura, Goddess Durga will return to her husband’s abode on Mount Kailash.
Basudeb Dhar, president of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council, said the arrival of Goddess Durga each year brings joy and enthusiasm to temples across the country. The beats of dhak and dhol drums, along with the sounds of kansor bells and conch shells, fill the air with the festive spirit of Bengal. Through prayers and the chanting of mantras, devotees seek to drive away evil forces and pray for peace and well-being.
Idol immersion will take place today with prayers for the welfare of the country and its people. Before the immersion, a procession will leave Dhakeshwari National Temple, travel through various streets of the capital and conclude at Sadarghat.
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman have issued separate messages on the occasion of Bijoya Dashami. Leaders of various political parties and organisations have also extended greetings to the Hindu community.
The government holiday for Durga Puja began on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday are also public holidays, giving government employees a five-day break in total.
This year’s Durga Puja countdown began with Mahalaya on October 10, marking the start of the festival’s formal observances. The six-day celebrations began with Maha Shashthi last Friday and will conclude on Wednesday with idol immersion.
Durga Puja is being celebrated at 33,851 mandaps across the country this year, including 258 in Dhaka city.
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