The five day long celebration of Durga Puja in Bangladesh concluded on Tuesday, October 24 with the immersion of the idols of Goddess Durga.

The immersion was preceded by elaborate rituals like Sindoor Khela in which women play with vermillion and perform ritual dance on the last day of Durga Puja.

The traditional Bijoya Dashami procession was held in Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh. Idols of Goddess Durga were taken in colourful procession for immersion in the rivers and water bodies.

On the way to the immersion place, the devotees chanted the name of the goddess Durga, sang praises in her honour, blew Conch shells and made the ululation sound. The procession in Dhaka presented a colourful and exuberant site with thousands of devotees marching toward the immersion point.

The government had made elaborate arrangements for security this year for more than 32 thousand Puja mandaps in the country in view of the vandalism of temples and attacks on Hindu houses and business establishments in the past during Durga Puja. This year the Puja passed off without any untoward incident being reported from the country.

Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the Hindus of Bangladesh. According to Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, 32,407 pandals were made in the country for Durga Puja this year, including 244 in the capital city Dhaka.

Navalsang Parmar