Bagerhat Correspondent :
Celebration of 5-day long Durga Puja, the greatest religious festival of Bengali Hindu community began in Bagerhat district town and its all the nine Upazilas on Monday with religious fervour, gaiety, solemnity, peaceful and happy atmosphere.
According to the belief of the Hindu community, this year Goddess Durga appeared on the earth by horse and will leave the same on litter.
According to Abonish Chakrabarty (Sona), General Secretary of Bagerhat district unit of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad (BPUP), as many as 649 Puja Mandops (pandels) were erected in Bagerhat district town and its all the nine Upazilas. The number of Puja Mandops in the district town is 12 while the number of Upazila wise Puja Madnops are 152 in Chitalmari, 112 in Bagerhat Sadar, 76 in Morrelganj, 74 in Mollahat, 63 in Fakirhat, 43 in Kachua, 42 in Rampal, 33 in Mongla and 26 in Sharankhola.
On the occasion Hindu devotees irrespective of sexes and ages being warmly clad are visiting the Puja Mandops and offering prayer to the Goddess Durga for removing all distresses and evils from the earth. Members of the Muslim community are also visiting the Puja Mandops.
The biggest Puja Mandop of the district as well as in the country was erected at Shikdarbari within Khanpur Union Parishad under Sadar Upazila with the initiative of a business magnate named Lyton Shikdar. As many as 701 idols of deities were installed on the Puja Mandops based on the stories depicted in the holy books Mahabharat and Ramayan. In the last year the numbers of idols of deities erected on the Mandop were 605. A large numbers of both Hindu devotees and the members of Muslim community from far and near are visiting this Mandop on the first day of Durga Puja.
BSS from Rangpur reports: Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangalee Hindu community, began yesterday with the incarnation (Bodhon) of the Goddess Durga in Rangpur division with huge enthusiasm and due religious fervour.
Tens of hundreds of devotees started thronging Puja mandaps since the morning to have a glance at goddess Durga and seek her blessings for their well-being and welfare.
The law enforcement agencies and local units of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad (BPUP) have taken adequate steps to ensure peaceful celebrations of the festivity.
The celebrations will end through immersion of the idols erected in 5,265 Durga Puja mandaps in all the eight districts of the division after celebration of the ‘Moha Dashami’ on October 19.
The district administrations have already distributed 500-kg of rice among each of the 5,265 Puja mandap authorities in the division to celebrate the greatest festival.
Deputy Inspector General for Rangpur Range Devdas Bhattacharya said special security measures have been taken with the deployment of police RAB, Highway Police, Ansar- VDP and community police for peaceful celebrations of the festival.
The Deputy Commissioners, Police Supers, UNOs, officials, politicians, leaders of different socio-cultural organisations and BPUPs are visiting the Puja mandaps.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Alim Mahmud said the Sanaton community already started celebration of the ‘Sharodiya’ Durga Puja today at 166 mandaps in the metropolitan city area.
“We have taken adequate steps to ensure peaceful celebrations of the religious festivity in all Puja mandaps located under all six Thanas of Rangpur Metropolitan Police in the city,” Alim added.
Leaders of the district unit of BPUP here said the Sanaton community people today started celebrations of the Durga Puja amid huge enthusiasm in all 938 Puja mandaps erected in the district.
BSS from Rajshahi adds: Durga Puja is being celebrated in the city and nine upazilas of the district amid great enthusiasm and festive mood since on Monday.The festival was marked by puja, arati, recitation from scriptures distribution of proshad, offering of devotional songs. A huge number of devotees are seen visiting different puja mandaps to mhave a look at goddess Durga. Anil Kumar Sarker, trustee of Hindu Development Trust, told BSS that of the 463 mandaps including 80 in the metropolis have been erected here.District administration has distributed more than 231.5 tons of rice tocelebrate Durga puja this year. The celebration will end through the immersion of idols of goddess Durga’
