Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, begins today with Maha Shashthi puja at temples across the country with due religious fervour.
Preparations at all puja mandaps have almost been completed as artisans are busy giving the final touches to idols and pandals to celebrate the festival.
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This year Goddess Durga will arrive on elephant and return by boat.
On this day, it is believed that Goddess Durga descends on the earth with her four children -- Ganesha, Kartikeya, Lakshami and Saraswati.
The day will begin with an early morning ritual "Kalparambha". The devotee makes a resolution to observe all puja rituals in a sacrosanct way during the next three days namely, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami.
Another ritual called "Bodhon" is done to symbolically awaken Goddess Durga from her sleep. Prayers and mantras are recited to awaken her.
"Adhivas", a ritual for invoking the name of Goddess Durga, means symbolically installing Goddess Durga in the Bilva tree which is also sanctified by offering prayers.
After "Adhivas" is over, Goddess Durga is given "Amantran" or an invitation to accept the Navpatrika Puja to be performed the next day.
Maha Saptami puja will be held tomorrow, Maha Ashtami, Kumari and Sandhi puja on Monday, Maha Nabami puja on Tuesday and Bijoya Dashami on Wednesday.
In separate messages, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday conveyed greetings to the Hindu community people on this occasion, reports BSS.
This year, puja will be celebrated at 32,168 mandaps across the country, including 242 in the capital, according to Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad.
In the capital, the main puja mandaps are at Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramkrishna Mission and Math, Kalabagan, Banani, Shakhari Bazar and Ramna Kali Mandir.
Yesterday at a press conference, Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Udjapan Committee issued 21-point directives, including installing CCTV cameras, searching suspects and assigning volunteers for throughout the day, for maintaining security at the respective mandaps during the celebration.
