Durga Puja draws to a close in Bangladesh with immersion of goddess’s idols

Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival for the Bengali Hindu community, has drawn to a close through the immersion of the goddess’s idols in the waters.

Members of the community have now said their farewells to the goddess, who they believe will return again next year.

The festival celebrations, which heightened on the sixth day—Sasthi—have now come to a close on the tenth and final day of the Puja—Dashami—on Sunday.

As per the lunar calendar, the Bihit Puja and mirror immersion for Dashami have been performed after the rituals on the ninth day—Nabami [held on Saturday] -- this year.

Due to this, devotees finished praying to the goddess for the destruction of evil forces on Saturday. The official immersion of the idols, however, was conducted on Sunday.

As per tradition, devotees bid farewell to Durga with oil, vermillion, and betel-sugar in different Puja pavilions in Chattogram on Sunday. As every year, Patenga Beach is the main location for the immersion ceremony.

The ritual was also held at the Kalurghat on the Karnaphuli River, the Abhaymitra Ghat and in ponds in different areas. However, due to inclement weather, some devotees opted to skip the Patenga ceremony and went to the Karnaphuli River event instead.

Devotees have been streaming in from different pavilions in the city with the idols since 10am, said Shakila Soltana, deputy commissioner of the Port Police.

“Security measures around the beach and its surrounding areas have been beefed up for the event. Four hundred police are on duty in the beach area for the immersion ceremony and mobile teams and plainclothes police have been dispersed to different important points in the road.”

The stores in the beach area have been closed for security, she said.

Medical teams and Fire Service personnel are at the ready on the beach too.

Trucks carrying the idols have come from different Puja pavilions to the beach. Hindu devotees and people of all creeds have gathered in the area.

Fazlul Kader of the Kotwali Police Station said that idols are being immersed at the dock in the Firingi Bazar area too. Sufficient security and lighting have been put in place for the event.

Hindus believe that the Goddess Durga leaves the mortal world to travel to her marital home in the cosmos after the Nabami Puja. On Dashami, the Trinayani Puja officially ends with the immersion of her idols.

The Durga Puja began on Oct 2 with Mahalaya and ended with Dashami on Sunday.

RITUALS AND FESTIVITIES MARK END OF DURGA PUJA

Ahead of the immersion ceremony, Hindu devotees engaged in a host of festivities and rituals to bid farewell to the goddess. These included playing conches and drums, along with the traditional ‘Sindur Khela’, where married women smeared vermillion on each other.

This year, certain rituals typically performed on Dashami, the final day of Durga Puja, such as Bihit Puja and Darpan Bishorjon, were conducted a day earlier on Nabami, in accordance with the celestial calendar.

On Dashami, devotees took part in Sindur Khela, offered sweets to the goddess, and participated in processions to take the deity’s idol for immersion.

The activities started at 11am at Dhaka’s Dhakeshwari National Temple, where devotees smeared vermillion on the idol of Goddess Durga and on each other, celebrating with songs and dances in her name.

“Sindur (vermillion) symbolises married life. Women apply it to pray for their families’ well-being,” said Pranab Chakrabarty, the advisory priest at the temple.

“Due to the mundanities of everyday life, we all gradually grow apart. When goddess Durga arrives, we all come together, only to scatter again when she leaves. When we bid farewell to her, we greet each other and partake in Sindur Khela, seeking the welfare of everyone. It sends a message of unity and friendship,” Pranab said when asked about the significance of the ritual.

According to Hindu tradition, the goddess Durga departs from Mount Kailash each autumn to visit the mortal realm as a maiden on Mahalaya in a bid to eliminate evil.

This year, the countdown to Durga Puja began with Mahalaya on Oct 2, followed by the Sasthi Puja on Wednesday, which kicked off the five-day Durga Puja festival, culminating in the immersion of the goddess’s idol on Sunday.

“We pray to goddess Durga for everyone’s welfare. We hope she’ll bless us with her benevolence. She’s the 10-armed goddess and may she bring forth all the blessings for us in her 10 hands,” said Dharmadas Chattopadhaya, chief priest of the Dhakeshwari National Temple.

Kishore Das from Lalbagh came to Dhakeshwari with his newly wedded wife.

“We’re celebrating our first Puja after our wedding. We tied the knot just six months ago. We’re enjoying ourselves together with our relatives at home. Also, we’re visiting their places as well. Altogether, we’re having a great time.”

At the Ramna Kali Temple, the atmosphere was vibrant around noon, with devotees singing and dancing, as chants calling for the goddess’s return rang out.

Urmila Chakraborty was clicking a photo with her child in her arms. “I came to seek the goddess’s blessings with my husband and child. I pray that we remain on the path of virtue and my child grows up to be a good person,” she said.

Dhakeshwari Temple Priest Rajib Chakraborty said the goddess arrived in a palanquin this time and will return on a horse.

Additionally, the Puja Udjapan Parishad hosted a blood donation camp on Dashami, the final day of the festivities. The day culminated in an idol immersion procession at the Palashi intersection at 3pm, marking the ceremonial end of the festival.

This year, 31,461 temples and pavilions are hosting the Puja festivities, with 252 of them in the Dhaka Metropolitan area.