aBarisal Correspondent :
Hundreds of worshipers of Hindu community have taken Astami Snan (holy bath) , one of their special religious festivals, with due respect and solemnity at historical pond named ‘Durga Sagor Dighi’ of Madhavpasha under Babuganj upazila of Barisal on Saturday.
The main rituals of Maha Astami Snan started on early Saturday with worshiping the rising Sun and would be ended on Sunday morning according to the ‘Lagno’ (timing of lunar calendar) with a tradition since 1780.
According to Hindu belief Parsuram, a saint killed his mother Omugha Devi at the order of his father Jamadagni by an axe.
The axe clung to his hand as a mark of sin.
At the order of divinity he bathed at the slope of the Himalayan waterfall on this day of lunar month.
The axe dropped from his hand and he freed himself from sin after taking bath in the holy water-bodies filled with sources of Himalayan waters like Durga Sagor Dighi excavated on the name of Rani Durgaboti, wife of local feudal-lord Shibnarayan at around 1780 AD.
Mukul Das, Udichi activist and one of the cultural personalities of city, participating at the Durgasagor Snan and Mela Utsav narrating the mythical story said the devotees are happy for peaceful atmosphere and good arrangement during the festival.
The traditional village fair was also arranged at Madavpasha School Ground adjacent to Durga Sagor on occasion of the Astami Snan, he said.
Religious discussion held, worship, and different types of religious rituals performed at Durga Sagor under the auspices of Snan Utsab Parishad in the day long ceremony.
Barisal Metropolitan police authority has deployed policemen, volunteers and RAB to maintain law and order situation and extended help with medical camp, health and sanitation facilities for the worshipers during the festival.
BSS from Narayanganj reports: A two-day “Astami Snan”, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Hindu community, began on the bank of the river old Bramahputra at Langalbandh under Bandar upzila in the district today with due respect and solemnity peacefully.
Mahatirtha Langalbandh Astami Snan observance committee organized the snan in co-operation with the district administration.
The Holy bath was inaugurated by a galaxy of Brahmins dipping in the river water at Raj ghat, Annapurna ghat and other 16 ghats simultaneously.
Tens of thousands of people, male, female and children, thronged at Langalbandh from different parts of the country by buses, private cars, trucks and trawlers and country-made boats along the rivers Brahmaputra and Meghna.
Devotees from India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka arrived here a day ahead of the Astami Snan.
About 20 voluntary religious organizations including Bangladesh Jatioy Hindu Mahajot, Sadhu Nag Mahashay Asram, Sree Guru Sangha and Narayanganj District Puja Udjapan Parishad set up reception camps to give shelter to the attending devotees.
The district administration sanctioned 10 tones of rice to feed the devotees.
Wasa has arranged the supply of pure drinking water, BREB has ensured uninterrupted power supply, Narayanganj District council has removed water- hyacinths from the river.
Police sources said the two kilometer long Langalbandh has been brought under foolproof security net by deploying 1500 police, 336 Ansars, a large number of RAB and setting up 36 closed circuit cameras, nine police watching tower, fire service & civil defence, 2 mobile medical teams and two 10 bed mini hospital.
BSS from Rangpur adds: The Brahmaputra riverbed in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram turned today into a human sea on last day of the two-day celebrations of the holy religious festivity of ‘Astami Snan’ with due solemnity, religious fervour and gaiety.
Thousands of the Sonaton community devotees including men, women, youths and adolescents from the country and neighbouring India gathered there to celebrate the festivity by dipping in the sacred Brahmaputra water to get rid of their sins.
President of Chilmari unit of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad Dr Salil Kumar Barman told local reporters that about four-lakh devotees from Bangladesh and India bathed in the sacred Brahmaputra water during the two-day holy religious festivity this time.
“Beginning from 10:14 pm on Saturday night, the holy dip continued till 7:52 am yesterday on five-kilometre stretch of the Brahmaputra riverbank from Puthimari Ghat to Ramna Ghat points in Chilmari upazila,” he said.
“The pilgrims took part in the holy dip with due religious rituals through reciting ‘Hari Nam’ and offering puja, rendering devotional songs and ‘kirtons’ to get them purified,” Barman added.
The authorities concerned and Chilmari Puja Udjapon Parishad with assistance of other organisations arranged necessary facilities there for rendering `mantra path’, devotional songs, ‘kirtons’ and other religious rituals.
Chilmari Upazila Chairman Shawkat Ali Sarker, Bir Bikram, its Vice-chairman Abdul Kuddus Sarker Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mirja Murad Hassan Beg expressed satisfaction over smooth conduct of the ‘Astami Snan’ this year.
Shawkat Ali Sarker said police camps, tents, 30 tube wells, facilities for bathing and 100 booths for changing clothes by women; sanitation and medicare facilities were arranged there for the devotees in the whole bathing area. “A number of government, non-governmental, voluntary and religious organisations rendered services to the pilgrims there to help them smoothly completing the festivity as per the century-old religious and traditional rituals,” he added.
Officer-in-charge of Chilmari Thana Krishna Kumar Sarker said over 300 male and female members of Police, RAB, Ansar-VDP and other law enforcement agencies were deployed there to maintain law and order for peaceful celebrations of the festival.
Meanwhile, the three-day ‘Astami Mela’ arranged there on the occasion from Saturday will end tomorrow (Monday) amid traditional festivity and huge sale of various locally made products, including handicrafts and indigenous goods.
A broadcasting team of Radio Chilmari, the only Community Radio station in the area, led by its station-in-charge Bashir Ahmed and News Editor SM Nurul Amin Sarker, conducted direct broadcast of the religious rituals of the ‘Astami Snan’ festivity.
Hundreds of worshipers of Hindu community have taken Astami Snan (holy bath) , one of their special religious festivals, with due respect and solemnity at historical pond named ‘Durga Sagor Dighi’ of Madhavpasha under Babuganj upazila of Barisal on Saturday.
The main rituals of Maha Astami Snan started on early Saturday with worshiping the rising Sun and would be ended on Sunday morning according to the ‘Lagno’ (timing of lunar calendar) with a tradition since 1780.
According to Hindu belief Parsuram, a saint killed his mother Omugha Devi at the order of his father Jamadagni by an axe.
The axe clung to his hand as a mark of sin.
At the order of divinity he bathed at the slope of the Himalayan waterfall on this day of lunar month.
The axe dropped from his hand and he freed himself from sin after taking bath in the holy water-bodies filled with sources of Himalayan waters like Durga Sagor Dighi excavated on the name of Rani Durgaboti, wife of local feudal-lord Shibnarayan at around 1780 AD.
Mukul Das, Udichi activist and one of the cultural personalities of city, participating at the Durgasagor Snan and Mela Utsav narrating the mythical story said the devotees are happy for peaceful atmosphere and good arrangement during the festival.
The traditional village fair was also arranged at Madavpasha School Ground adjacent to Durga Sagor on occasion of the Astami Snan, he said.
Religious discussion held, worship, and different types of religious rituals performed at Durga Sagor under the auspices of Snan Utsab Parishad in the day long ceremony.
Barisal Metropolitan police authority has deployed policemen, volunteers and RAB to maintain law and order situation and extended help with medical camp, health and sanitation facilities for the worshipers during the festival.
BSS from Narayanganj reports: A two-day “Astami Snan”, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Hindu community, began on the bank of the river old Bramahputra at Langalbandh under Bandar upzila in the district today with due respect and solemnity peacefully.
Mahatirtha Langalbandh Astami Snan observance committee organized the snan in co-operation with the district administration.
The Holy bath was inaugurated by a galaxy of Brahmins dipping in the river water at Raj ghat, Annapurna ghat and other 16 ghats simultaneously.
Tens of thousands of people, male, female and children, thronged at Langalbandh from different parts of the country by buses, private cars, trucks and trawlers and country-made boats along the rivers Brahmaputra and Meghna.
Devotees from India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka arrived here a day ahead of the Astami Snan.
About 20 voluntary religious organizations including Bangladesh Jatioy Hindu Mahajot, Sadhu Nag Mahashay Asram, Sree Guru Sangha and Narayanganj District Puja Udjapan Parishad set up reception camps to give shelter to the attending devotees.
The district administration sanctioned 10 tones of rice to feed the devotees.
Wasa has arranged the supply of pure drinking water, BREB has ensured uninterrupted power supply, Narayanganj District council has removed water- hyacinths from the river.
Police sources said the two kilometer long Langalbandh has been brought under foolproof security net by deploying 1500 police, 336 Ansars, a large number of RAB and setting up 36 closed circuit cameras, nine police watching tower, fire service & civil defence, 2 mobile medical teams and two 10 bed mini hospital.
BSS from Rangpur adds: The Brahmaputra riverbed in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram turned today into a human sea on last day of the two-day celebrations of the holy religious festivity of ‘Astami Snan’ with due solemnity, religious fervour and gaiety.
Thousands of the Sonaton community devotees including men, women, youths and adolescents from the country and neighbouring India gathered there to celebrate the festivity by dipping in the sacred Brahmaputra water to get rid of their sins.
President of Chilmari unit of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad Dr Salil Kumar Barman told local reporters that about four-lakh devotees from Bangladesh and India bathed in the sacred Brahmaputra water during the two-day holy religious festivity this time.
“Beginning from 10:14 pm on Saturday night, the holy dip continued till 7:52 am yesterday on five-kilometre stretch of the Brahmaputra riverbank from Puthimari Ghat to Ramna Ghat points in Chilmari upazila,” he said.
“The pilgrims took part in the holy dip with due religious rituals through reciting ‘Hari Nam’ and offering puja, rendering devotional songs and ‘kirtons’ to get them purified,” Barman added.
The authorities concerned and Chilmari Puja Udjapon Parishad with assistance of other organisations arranged necessary facilities there for rendering `mantra path’, devotional songs, ‘kirtons’ and other religious rituals.
Chilmari Upazila Chairman Shawkat Ali Sarker, Bir Bikram, its Vice-chairman Abdul Kuddus Sarker Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mirja Murad Hassan Beg expressed satisfaction over smooth conduct of the ‘Astami Snan’ this year.
Shawkat Ali Sarker said police camps, tents, 30 tube wells, facilities for bathing and 100 booths for changing clothes by women; sanitation and medicare facilities were arranged there for the devotees in the whole bathing area. “A number of government, non-governmental, voluntary and religious organisations rendered services to the pilgrims there to help them smoothly completing the festivity as per the century-old religious and traditional rituals,” he added.
Officer-in-charge of Chilmari Thana Krishna Kumar Sarker said over 300 male and female members of Police, RAB, Ansar-VDP and other law enforcement agencies were deployed there to maintain law and order for peaceful celebrations of the festival.
Meanwhile, the three-day ‘Astami Mela’ arranged there on the occasion from Saturday will end tomorrow (Monday) amid traditional festivity and huge sale of various locally made products, including handicrafts and indigenous goods.
A broadcasting team of Radio Chilmari, the only Community Radio station in the area, led by its station-in-charge Bashir Ahmed and News Editor SM Nurul Amin Sarker, conducted direct broadcast of the religious rituals of the ‘Astami Snan’ festivity.
