Three-day Durga Puja holiday, heightened security announced
The preparations for Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community, are underway across Bangladesh with Maha Shashthi scheduled for October 16.
This year, the government has extended the Durga Puja holiday to three days in executive order in response to longstanding demands from the Hindu community.
Combined with the regular Friday and Saturday weekend holidays, the extension will provide a total five-day break between October 20 and 24.
“We gratefully welcome the government decision to announce three-day Durga Puja holidays to allow the Hindus to celebrate the festival with much enthusiasm,” Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee general secretary Suvasish Kumar Biswas Sadhan told BSS today.
He said home goers will face no hassle this year as the holidays have been extended.
However, Sadhan demanded permanently announcing three-day Durga Puja holidays from the next year instead of announcing holidays in executive order to recognize and implement the longstanding demand of the community.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) has also welcomed the decision 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 completing preparations for the five-day festival, including construction and decoration of pandals, installation of idols, lighting arrangements and preparations for religious and cultural programmes.
Authorities and local communities are also working to ensure security and smooth movement of devotees and visitors throughout the celebrations.
Durga Puja will formally begin with Maha Shashthi on October 16 and continue through Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami before concluding with Bijaya Dashami on October 21.
On the final day, devotees 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 Bangladesh's Hindu community.
It commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura and symbolises the triumph of good over evil. According to Hindu mythology, Mahishasura, empowered by a boon that made him invulnerable to men, became a threat to the gods.
The gods combined their divine powers to create Goddess Durga, who fought and ultimately defeated him.
On October 10, Mahalaya, an auspicious occasion that heralds the advent of Goddess Durga, will be celebrated through different rituals by members of Hindu community across the country.
With celebration of Mahalaya, the countdown of the festival will begin.
Dhakeshwari National Temple will host a series of cultural and religious programme in the dawn on that day.
The main rituals of Durga Puja will begin on Maha Shashthi with Kalparambha and the ceremonial unveiling, or Bodhan, of the goddess's idol.
Maha Saptami will feature the Nabapatrika, or Kola Bou, ritual, in which nine plants representing different forms of the goddess are ceremonially bathed and worshipped.
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 approaches, mandaps in Dhaka and other parts of the country are taking shape with elaborate decorations, colourful lighting and artistic themes. Devotees and visitors are expected to gather at the mandaps throughout the celebrations to offer prayers, receive prasad and participate in religious and cultural programmes.
Durga Puja is observed not only as a major religious occasion but also as an important part of Bangladesh's cultural heritage.
The festival brings together the members of the Hindu community and people from other faiths, reflecting the country's tradition of communal harmony and peaceful coexistence. With preparations gaining momentum, organisers and authorities are working to ensure a peaceful, festive and secure environment for devotees across the country.
Following a high-level coordination meeting on security arrangements for the peaceful celebration of Durga Puja on September 30, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced enhanced security measures, increased government funding and an extended holiday for the upcoming Durga Puja.
Government funding for Durga Puja mandaps has also been increased to Tk 5 crore from Tk 4 crore following directives from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said.
The number of puja mandaps increased by nearly 1,500 compared to last year as it the number stood at 33,851 this year, said Salahuddin.
However, the authorities will use a mobile application previously deployed by the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) to strengthen monitoring during Durga Puja.
The app will facilitate the rapid dissemination of information about any untoward incident and help authorities respond quickly to maintain a peaceful and festive environment, the minister said.
The Home Ministry has instructed relevant authorities to ensure uninterrupted electricity supplies at puja venues.
Mandap organisers have been asked to keep generators on standby around the clock and maintain rechargeable lights as an additional backup in case of power or generator failure.
