Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community, concludes across Bangladesh on Wednesday with Bijoya Dashami, the final day marked by farewell rituals and the immersion of idols of Goddess Durga.
Devotees gather at temples and puja mandaps across the country to bid farewell to Goddess Durga and her children — Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh — praying for the goddess’s return next year.
According to Hindu tradition, the immersion symbolises Goddess Durga’s return to her husband’s abode at Kailash. In Dhaka, thousands of devotees gather along the banks of the Buriganga River to witness and participate in the final rituals of the festival.
A major attraction of Bijoya Dashami is the traditional Sindur Khela, in which female devotees offer vermilion at the feet of Goddess Durga before applying it to one another. The ritual symbolises devotion to the goddess and is accompanied by wishes for prosperity and well-being.
The six-day festival, also known as Sharadiya Durga Utsab, began on October 16 with the incarnation of Goddess Durga. Celebrations were held at 33,165 mandaps across the country this year.
Durga Puja centres on the worship of Shakti, or divine power, and symbolises the triumph of good over evil. The immersion of the idols marks the end of the festivities, with devotees bidding farewell to the goddess and looking forward to her return next year.
