Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangali Hindu community, begins with the incarnation (Bodhon) of the Goddess Durga at temples across the country today amid stringent security, reports BSS.
On the occasion, preparations in all the Puja pandals have nearly been completed.
In separate messages, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina conveyed greetings to the members of the country’s Hindu community marking the festival.
Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, the largest organization of Hindu community, decided to provide assistance to the persecuted Rohingya people by saving the cost of the community’s biggest religious festival.
“The exodus of Rohingyas to Bangladesh fleeing violence in Rakhine state of Myanmar has unfolded a horrific humanitarian crisis. We will come up with assistance for the persecuted Rohingya by saving cost of Dugra Puja festival,” Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad General Secretary Taposh Kumar Paul told newsmen recently.
The five-day festival starts with ‘Bodhon’ of the Goddess Durga today marking Sashthi while the festival will come to an end with the emersion of the idols of the Goddess Durga in the nearby rivers and water bodies across the country on September 30.
Security has been beefed up in all Puja pandals throughout the country including in the capital city with the deployment of additional squads of Ansars, police, RAB and other law enforcers for peaceful celebration of the festival.
“Law enforcers will remain deployed for five days from the first day on September 26 at all Puja mandaps until the immersion on September 30,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said adding that the government has banned the use of crackers during the the Puja.
He said the immersion of Durga’s idol should be done from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm on the day of Bijoya Dashami.
All Puja committees have installed close circuit cameras and metal detectors at their mandaps.
A mood of festivities has been witnessed among the devotees irrespective of ages marking the festival while adequate security measures have already been taken in the puja pandals across the country.
