Play store
The five-day Sharadiya Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community, begins officially on Friday across Bangladesh, with the traditional Bodhon ceremony marking the ceremonial awakening of Goddess Durga.
The ritual will be held on Maha Shashthi, the sixth day of the lunar fortnight, when devotees ceremonially invoke the goddess and welcome her to the mortal world.
Preparations at temples and makeshift puja mandaps across the country have reached their final stages.
The sound of traditional drums, conch shells and devotional chants is expected to fill the puja venues as the festivities get underway.
According to the traditional calendar, the main worship rituals will continue through the coming days, culminating in Vijaya Dashami on October 21, when devotees will bid farewell to the goddess through processions and the immersion of idols in designated water bodies.
The festival follows Mahalaya, observed on October 10 this year, which marks the beginning of Devipaksha, the auspicious period associated with Goddess Durga’s arrival.
