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Preparations for the Sharadiya Durga Puja have entered the final stage in Satkhira’s Brahmarajpur, where organisers have been forced to redesign a much-publicised Durga idol by removing matchsticks used in its decoration.
Artists worked through the night to replace the matchsticks with raisins and sesame seeds after the district administration ordered their removal over safety concerns.
On Wednesday, October 14, Satkhira Deputy Commissioner Kawsar Aziz visited the Brahmarajpur Sarbajanin Shri Shri Durga Puja Mandir in Dhulihar Union under Satkhira Sadar upazila and directed the organisers to remove the matchsticks.
Citing instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs, he set a deadline of 2:00pm on Thursday, October 15, warning that legal action could be taken if the order was not implemented within the stipulated time.
Following the directive, organisers began removing the matchsticks on Wednesday night. Artists worked throughout the night to redesign the idol’s clothing and ornaments using raisins and sesame seeds, leaving the organisers and committee members racing to complete preparations ahead of the festival.
The organisers said the unusual idol had been created through months of planning, hard work and considerable expense. More than 150,000 matchsticks and over 10 kilograms of silk thread had been used to decorate it, drawing widespread media attention and attracting interest from local residents and visitors from other areas.
They expressed disappointment that the redesign had become necessary at the last moment, just before the festival.
The organisers claimed they had already taken precautionary measures to address potential fire risks. According to them, fire service officials had inspected the idol after the gunpowder was removed from the matchsticks. Sand and water had also been kept at the temple, and the organisers had provided a written undertaking accepting responsibility in case of any untoward incident.
Despite these measures, they said, the administration’s order to remove the matchsticks had left them disappointed.
Deputy Commissioner Kawsar Aziz said the administration had received instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs and that compliance with government directives was a responsibility of every citizen.
He advised the artists to contact the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) to redesign the idol after removing the matchsticks, assuring them of administrative assistance.
The idol came into the spotlight after a report titled “Durga idol made with 150,000 matchsticks in Satkhira” was published on September 25. Artist Nabodwip Sarkar had earlier said he was inspired to create the unusual piece after seeing similar artwork at a temple in India.
The last-minute changes have also disappointed some local Hindu devotees, for whom the idol had been one of the main attractions of this year’s Durga Puja.
The organisers are now working to complete the redesign in line with the administration’s instructions and finish preparations for the festival. Although the idol is taking on a new appearance through the artists’ overnight efforts, the loss of its original decoration has left a sense of regret among the organisers and some local devotees.