Durga Puja, the biggest annual religious festival of the Hindus in Bangladesh, begins on Monday across the country.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. President Md Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Raushan Ershad in separate messages have greeted the Hindus on the occasion.The public holiday for Durga Puja is on Thursday (Oct 22).This year the Durga Puja will be observed at more than 29,000 Puja Mandaps or pavilions across the country including 222 in Dhaka.Police says they have tightened security arrangements across the country after reports of vandalising idols in Satkhira District in the last two days. Dhaka Metropolitan Police chief Md Assaduzzaman Mia has said that over 6,000 police personnel have been deployed for security at puja sites across the capital.
