The five-day long Durga Puja festival begins today (October 11) with the Maha Sasthi Puja. According to the date, the awakening, invitation and abode of Goddess Durga will be held this evening. In the devotion and formality of worship of the devotees, Goddess Durga as the mother will be seated in the mandapas.
Surrounding this largest religious festival of the Hindu community, the mood of the festival is now prevailing all over the country. This time Durga festival is being held in 32,118 puja mandps across the country. There will be 238 pujas in Dhaka metropolis. The number is four more than last year.
Tomorrow, on 12th October Saptami, on 13th Astami, on 14th Nabami and on 15th October the festival will end with the immersion of idols.
According to the Puranas, King Surath first started worshiping Goddess Durga. This puja is called Basanti Puja as he conducted it in the spring. But Ramchandra, the son of King Dasaratha, organized Durga Puja in the autumn to rescue his wife Sita from the hands of King Ravana. That is why this puja of autumn is also called Akal Bodhan. In the heart of Bengalis, Durga resides in autumn as a daughter. Every year Goddess Durga comes to Kailas as a daughter from her father-in-law's house Kailas to visit her father's house. So there is no shortage of arrangements to welcome the goddess.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md. Shafiqul Islam said, we are on high alert regarding the puja festival. He told reporters after inspecting the security arrangements at the shrine. I don't see any risk centering on autumn Durga Puja. However, I am not dismissing the fear. Militants are active online centering on Durga Puja. However, there is no information that anyone was inspired by their post.
We have brought the temples under CCTV cameras, he added. Besides, additional police will be deployed in the big temples of Dhaka city. There will be CCTV control room. Mobile police teams will work in small temples.
Due to the Corona pandemic, the puja udjapan parishad has requested the devotees to limit themselves to sattic puja by avoiding festival-related issues. Apart from this, there are instructions to immerse the idols by avoiding fairs, lighting, cultural programs, arati competitions, processions on the day of Vijaya Dashmi.