Inside the courtyard of Ramna Kali Mandir, thick clouds of burning incense curl into the autumn evening air as the rhythmic thuds of the dhak explode into an electric crescendo.
Across Bangladesh, Sharadiya Durga Puja – the largest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community – has enveloped the country in vibrant colour, deep devotion, and festive joy.
This year, the mega-festival is being celebrated across 33,851 mandaps nationwide, an increase of nearly 1,500 from last year, with 258 venues in the capital metropolitan area.
Prominent sites like Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramakrishna Mission, Banani, and Old Dhaka’s historic Shankhari Bazar have drawn tens of thousands of visitors daily.
On Maha Ashtami, devotees observed the sacred Sandhi Puja at the transitional hour between Ashtami and Navami, while Ramakrishna Mission Dhaka hosted the traditional Kumari Puja, where an unmarried young girl was worshipped as the living embodiment of Goddess Durga.
Behind the divine celebrations is the indispensable beat of the dhak, considered the literal heartbeat of the rituals.
Veteran drummers like 70-year-old Shanti Ranjan Das at Dhakeshwari Temple and 35-year-old Binoy Das at Ramna Kali Mandir have set aside daily livelihoods in farming or factories to beat the hides of their barrel drums.
Despite economic pressures and the high cost of city living, these traditional artisans perform out of pure spiritual devotion to Goddess Durga, sustaining a tradition recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The festival also mirrors the nation’s enduring ethos of interfaith unity.
Greeting the Hindu community, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman emphasised that “Religion belongs to individuals, the state belongs to all.”
The government extended the executive Durga Puja public holiday to three days – creating a five-day festive break – and expanded special financial grants to Tk5 crore.
To ensure safety, Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir confirmed peaceful observances across all venues, supported by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) securing 2,787 mandaps in border and remote tracts.
Security forces are also utilising the Sharadiya Shurokkha digital app for real-time monitoring.
As celebrations transition into Maha Navami and prepare for the melancholic Bijoya Dashami idol immersion processions, Durga Puja stands as a powerful testament to peace, communal harmony, and the eternal victory of good over evil.
