C T Online Desk: Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangali Hindu community, begins today with Maha Shashthi at temples and puja mandaps across the country amid due solemnity.
Puja organisers have finished almost all the tasks while traders are doing good business as the Hindus are buying different commodities ahead of the festival.
It is believed that Goddess Durga enters the mortal world on Maha Shashthi after completing her stay in Kailash. The day’s puja will start by uncovering the face of the deity, which was covered for the last couple of days. Then there will be celebrations with Bodhan and worship.
The four major rituals of puja – Kalparamvo (the starting of pujas), Bodhan (consecration of the idol of Goddess Durga), Amantran (inviting the Goddess), and Adhibas (sanctifying the stay of the deity in the Puja area) – will be performed on Maha Shashthi.
Artisans on Thursday said they were putting the finishing touches to idols and mandaps.
“I have bagged some 14 orders and have already completed the work of 10 idols. Hopefully, I can complete my job by today. Apart from the city, I have worked for upazila-level organisers as well,” said Liton Paul, an idol artisan in Barishal city.
According to Hindu scriptures and the Bangla almanac, Durga Puja is observed in sync with the moon’s cycle. The five-day festivity and prayers begin on the sixth day of the full moon and end on the tenth day.
Throughout the puja days, recitation of the verses from the Holy Chandi, blowing of conch shells (Shankha), and beating of dhaks (drums) will be heard at temples and mandaps.
The government has beefed up security ahead of Durga Puja while Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee have chalked out a series of programmes marking the grand festival.
Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad General Secretary Prof Chandranath Poddar said Durga Puja would be celebrated at 32,408 mandaps across the country this year, which is 240 more than last year.
He said the number of puja mandaps is 246 in the capital this year, up from 241 last year.
