Durga Puja countdown begins tomorrow with Mahalaya celebration

The countdown for Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the country's Hindu community will begin with celebration of Mahalaya across the country tomorrow (10 October).

Various religious and cultural ceremonies will be organized at temples including the capital Dhaka marking Mahalaya that heralds the advent of Goddess Durga.

Dhakeshwari National Temple will host a series of cultural and religious programmes at dawn on that day.

Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee general secretary Suvasish Kumar Biswas Sadhan said the Indian high commissioner in Dhaka is expected to attend the ceremony.

Besides, Ramna Kali Mandir will also host a large-scale Mahalaya celebration in the dawn on Saturday, said Mintu Basu, a joint secretary of the temple management committee.

Mahalaya marks the ending of Pitru Paksha (the dark fortnight dedicated to ancestors) and beginning of Devi Paksha (the divine fortnight).

The Hindus will remember and pay homage to their late ancestors by performing puja and offering robes to Brahmins.

On this day, Goddess Durga begins her journey from her home in Kailash to her paternal abode on Earth, which is celebrated as the Durga Puja festival.

Dhaka University Jagannath Hall Upashanalaya chief priest Sadhan Chakrabarty said Goddess Durga will arrive on a horse (Ghotak) and departs by a boat this year.

As Bijaya Dashami falls on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, meaning she departs by a Nauka (Boat), which traditionally signifies abundant crops and rainfall (shasyashyamala vasundhara).

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that Durga Puja will be arranged at 33,851 puja mandaps across the country this year as the number increased by nearly 1,500 compared to last year.

Government funding for Durga Puja mandaps has also been increased to Tk5 crore from Tk4 crore following directives from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said.

Meanwhile the government extended the Durga Puja holiday to three days in executive order in response to longstanding demands from the Hindu community.

Combined with the regular Friday and Saturday weekend holidays, the extension will provide a total five-day break between 20 to 24 October.

"It's truly a positive decision. We thank the prime minister for such a decision," Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad President Basudeb Dhar told BSS.

Echoing Dhar, the Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee general secretary also expressed gratitude to the government saying the announcement of the three-day Durga Puja holidays will allow the Hindus to celebrate the festival with much enthusiasm.

Sadhan said homebound people will face no hassle this year as the holidays have been extended.

However, he demanded permanently announcing three-day Durga Puja holidays from the next year instead of announcing holidays in executive order to recognize and implement the longstanding demand of the community.

Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) has also welcomed the decision declaring three-day Durga Puja holidays at a stretch.

"Through this, a long-standing demand of the minority communities has been fulfilled," said Manindra Kumar Natha, joint secretary general of BHBCUC.

The preparations for the most gorgeous festival of the Bangalee Hindu community are going on in full swing across Bangladesh likewise elsewhere in the world as Durga Puja will formally begin with Maha Shashthi puja to be performed on 16 October.

Puja committees, temples and mandaps across the country are busy completing preparations for the five-day festival, including construction and decoration of pandals, installation of idols, lighting arrangements and preparations for religious and cultural programmes.

Authorities and local communities are also working to ensure security and smooth movement of devotees and visitors throughout the celebrations.

Durga Puja will formally begin with Maha Shashthi on 16 October and continue through Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami before concluding with Bijaya Dashami on 21 October.

On the final day, devotees will bid farewell to Goddess Durga and take the idols in processions to designated rivers, ponds and other water bodies for immersion, known as Bisarjan.

The festival carries deep religious and cultural significance for Bangladesh's Hindu community.

It commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura and symbolises the triumph of good over evil. According to Hindu mythology, Mahishasura, empowered by a boon that made him invulnerable to men, became a threat to the gods.

The gods combined their divine powers to create Goddess Durga, who fought and ultimately defeated him.

The main rituals of Durga Puja will begin on Maha Shashthi with Kalparambha and the ceremonial unveiling, or Bodhan, of the goddess's idol.

Maha Saptami will feature the Nabapatrika, or Kola Bou, ritual, in which nine plants representing different forms of the goddess are ceremonially bathed and worshipped.

Maha Ashtami will be marked by the important Sandhi Puja, performed at the transition between Ashtami and Navami, while Maha Navami will feature the concluding major worship rituals and bhog offerings.

As the festival approaches, mandaps in Dhaka and other parts of the country are taking shape with elaborate decorations, colourful lighting and artistic themes.

Devotees and visitors are expected to gather at the mandaps throughout the celebrations to offer prayers, receive prasad and participate in religious and cultural programmes.

Durga Puja is observed not only as a major religious occasion but also as an important part of Bangladesh's cultural heritage.

The festival brings together the members of the Hindu community and people from other faiths, reflecting the country's tradition of communal harmony and peaceful coexistence.

With preparations gaining momentum, organisers and authorities are working to ensure a peaceful, festive and secure environment for devotees across the country.

However, the authorities will use a mobile application previously deployed by the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) to strengthen monitoring during Durga Puja.

The app will facilitate the rapid dissemination of information about any untoward incident and help authorities respond quickly to maintain a peaceful and festive environment, the minister said.

The Home Ministry has instructed relevant authorities to ensure uninterrupted electricity supplies at puja venues.

Mandap organisers have been asked to keep generators on standby around the clock and maintain rechargeable lights as an additional backup in case of power or generator failure.