Dhaka is set to host Durga Puja, the most significant religious festival of the Hindu community, at 257 venues this year.
According to the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council (BPCU), the five-day festival will commence on Wednesday (9 October), with the Bodhan ritual marking the beginning of the Sharadiya Durga Utsav.
Meanwhile, artisans across the city, as well as other parts of the country, are currently engrossed in crafting the deities—Durga, Ganesh, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Kartik—bringing them to life with intricate brushstrokes.
With the festival fast approaching, there is no respite for these craftsmen as they work round the clock to perfect their creations.
The inaugural day, known as "Maha Shasthi", will witness an array of ceremonies, including Kalparambha, Adhibas, and Abahan. The festival will culminate on Sunday (13 October) with the immersion of Durga’s idol during Vijayadashami, bringing the celebrations to a close.
In Dhaka, the festivities will be observed at major locations such as Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Banani, Kalabagan, Shakhari Bazar, Siddheswari Kali Temple, Ramna Kali Temple, Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University, Khamar Bari in Farmgate, and various spots in Old Dhaka, including Shakhari Bazar and Tati Bazar.
Final preparations are underway at both permanent temples and temporary mandaps, with artisans diligently applying the finishing touches to the idols.
However, continuous rainfall in recent days has caused waterlogging on roads and within shops, with even pavement vendors not spared.
Despite the rain, devotees have been busily shopping for the festival, umbrellas in hand. Key markets and shopping malls across the country are bustling with activity as devotees make their purchases.
Major shopping centres, malls, and stores in the capital have been swarmed with shoppers, while the historic shops of Old Dhaka's Shankhari Bazar are filled with customers buying essential items for the festival.
Items such as conch shells, garments for the idols, bells, clay pots, earthen lamps, incense sticks, garlands, crowns, saris, dhotis, and other ornaments are being sold at full swing in preparation for the Puja.
To prevent any untoward incidents during the celebrations, stringent security measures have been implemented nationwide. A central police control room will be set up at Dhakeshwari Temple to monitor the overall security at the mandaps in the capital.
