Durja Puja ends amid festivity

The five-day Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community, ended on Tuesday through observance of Bijaya Dashami in the capital and elsewhere across the country.
The celebration ended with solemn immersion of Goddess Durga’s deity in water-bodies. 
Throughout the day, the Hindus celebrated the Bijaya Dashami amid festivity and enthusiasm by visiting their relatives’ homes to share sweetmeats. 
Married Hindu women put vermilion on each other’s forehead on the occasion while others smeared each other with ‘abir’ (dry colours).
Later on the day, the deities of Durga were immersed in the river Buriganga at Wise Ghat in the capital amid tight security. 
A total of 29,395 permanent and temporary puja mandaps had been erected across the country including 229 in the capital city this year to celebrate the Durga Puja, according to Bangladesh Puja Utjapan Parishad.
The Parishad’s general secretary Tapash Kumar Paul told New Age that this year puja was held against the backdrop of a series of terrorist attacks, but no untoward incident occurred during the Puja.
Bharat Sheba Sangha volunteer Modon Mohon, who came from Kolkata in India, told New Age at the Dhakeshwari National Temple premises that he visited the historical temple this year and he was satisfied that Durga Puja was celebrated in Bangladesh with festivity and without fear.
Purahit of Dhakeshwari National Temple, Narayan Chakraborty, related how the goddess Durga descended on the earth from heaven to annihilate evil forces and establish peace and harmony.
‘She (Durga) came and returned to the heaven on Ghat (horse) this year. The horse bears messages of natural disaster like earthquake and cyclone... There is a fear of violence’, he explained, adding that the Durga was urged to save the people of Bangladesh from any disaster and maintain religious harmony.
Narayan said the Goddess Durga’s farewell for this year started on Tuesday with ‘Darpan Bisharjan’ in the morning. The worshipping of Ghat (horse) was also held as the goddess arrived this year and returned to heaven on horse.
Tens of thousands of devotees smeared each other with ‘abir’ (dry colours) until late afternoon at the Dhakeshwari temple.
Before the end of the festival, the devotees took out their idols to line up at Dhaka’s historical Dhakeshwari National Temple, from where they proceed for the immersion ceremony at Wise Ghat in Old Dhaka.
The procession, which marched along the streets of Dhaka University, Gulistan, Nawabpur Road, Bangshal, Court Road and Sadarghat, was guarded by huge number of law enforcement agencies including police and Rapid Action Battalion.
Police were seen on riot gear at key points of the city. The immersion was held at the Wise Ghat amid tight security of fire service, river police and other law enforcement agencies.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioners Maruf Hossain Sorder and Shyamol Mukherjee said this year’s Durga Puja celebration and the goddess immersion were covered with foolproof security. 
Police successfully maintained security, they said.
New Age correspondents in districts reported that Hindus across the country celebrated the Bijaya Dashami amid festivity and enthusiasm.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net