Bijoya Dashami: Sharadiya Durga Puja concludes today with grand immersion
The collective procession will then move towards the Buriganga River, where the immersion ceremony will take place at Waizghat in Sadarghat
The five-day-long Sharadiya Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community, has concluded today (2 October), with the observance of Bijoya Dashami and the ceremonial immersion of the idols.
The day's rituals across the country's mandaps include Bihit Puja, Darpan and then Bisharjan. At the Dhakeshwari National Temple, the Dashami Puja began at around 9:57am.
Following the Darpan Bisharjan, the temple hosted its annual voluntary blood donation programme before preparing for the central procession.
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The idols were immersed in the Surma River in Sylhet, Padma River side in Rajshahi, Sadarghat area in the capital, among various places across the country.
Symbolic significance
In accordance with scriptures, like every year, Goddess Durga arrived on a Gaja (elephant), and her departure is taking place on a Dola (palanquin).
The day is also marked by the festive ritual of Sindur Khela (vermilion game) at the central mandap. In this ceremony, married Hindu women offer sindur to the Goddess's feet before applying it to each other's foreheads and chins, praying for the longevity of their marital lives.
Bijoya Dashami spiritually signifies the immersion of humanity's inner "asuric" (demonic) tendencies —such as lust, anger, envy, and greed. The final immersion ceremony is thus intended to renew the bonds of brotherhood and promote universal peace.
Strict security at 33,000 mandaps
Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser, visited the central mandap and lauded the interim government's efforts to ensure a safe festival.
"The government made its maximum effort to successfully organise this year's Durga Puja, and we believe we succeeded," he said. "Although one or two isolated incidents might occur, every one of the 33,000 puja mandaps across the country remains under security coverage."
According to the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, the central Bijoya procession is scheduled to leave the Dhakeshwari temple at 4pm. Before that, idols from most of Dhaka's 259 mandaps will converge at Palashi intersection.
The collective procession will then move towards the Buriganga River, where the immersion ceremony will take place at Waizghat in Sadarghat.
