Durga Puja begins in Sylhet with Maha Shashthhi rituals

Durga Puja, the biggest annual religious festival of the Hindus in Bangladesh, began on Monday across the country Including Sylhet Division.

The Maha Shashthhi, the sixth day of the moon when Goddess Durga is welcomed with much fanfare and gusto, will be observed on Monday. It’s the first chapter of the five-day religious extravaganza.

The ‘Bodhon’ (invocation) rituals include the unveiling of the face of the idol.

Bodhon, Amontron and Adhibas are the important rituals of Shasthhi apart from Kalparambho – the ritual performed before the commencement of the Puja.

The Mohasaptami puja will be held on Tuesday, Mohashtami and Kumari Puja on Wednesday, and Mohanabami Puja and Bijoya Dashami on Thursday.

Dashami, the last day of Durga Puja when Hindus bid farewell to the Goddess and greet each other Bijaya or victory ends with immersion of the idols of goddess Durga in water bodies.

The Mohanabami and Bijoya Dashami this year falls on the same day, but immersion of idols will take place on Friday.

The public holiday for Durga Puja is on Thursday (Oct 22).

This year the Durga Puja will be observed at more than 2404 Puja Mandaps or pavilions across Sylhet Division.

Police says they have tightened security arrangements across the country after reports of vandalising idols in Satkhira District in the last two days.

Sylhet Metropolitan Police chief Md Kamrul Ahsan has said that over 5,000 police personnel have been deployed for security at puja sites the Sylhet area.