Thousands join processions, Sindur Khela and immersion ceremonies across the country
Hindu devotees across Bangladesh bade an emotional farewell to Goddess Durga on Wednesday, immersing idols in rivers, seas and other water bodies as the five-day Sharadiya Durga Puja drew to a close on Bijoya Dashami.
According to Bengali Hindu tradition, the goddess arrives on Earth around Mahalaya to visit her parental home.
After the immersion of her idol on Bijoya Dashami, she returns to her husband’s abode on Mount Kailash, and devotees await her return the following year.
From the banks of the Buriganga in Old Dhaka to Patenga Sea Beach in Chattogram and the beach in Cox’s Bazar, thousands gathered for the immersion, accompanied by the beat of dhak drums, ululation, religious chants and colourful processions.
The day began with Dashami puja at temples and temporary mandaps across the country.
This was followed by Darpan Bisarjan, a symbolic ritual in which the goddess’s reflection in a mirror is immersed before the formal immersion of the idol.
Married Hindu women, dressed in traditional white sarees with red borders, took part in Sindur Khela, one of the best-known rituals of Bijoya Dashami.
They first offered vermilion and sweets to the goddess, then smeared vermilion on one another’s foreheads and faces, exchanged sweets and prayed for marital happiness and prosperity.
After the rituals, colourful processions wound through city streets towards nearby water bodies. Idols were carried on decorated trucks and pickup vans, while some were taken by boat to the middle of rivers for immersion.
In Chattogram, devotees gathered at Patenga Sea Beach to immerse idols in the waves. In Old Dhaka, similar rituals were held at Wiseghat on the Buriganga.
As the idols were lowered into the water, devotees chanted “Aschhe bochhor abar hobe” (It will happen again next year), expressing their hope for the goddess’s return.
Similar celebrations and immersion ceremonies took place in major divisional cities, including Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barishal, as well as in district towns across the country.
Law enforcement agencies maintained tight security at major immersion sites and took measures to ensure smooth traffic movement.
Strict security was in place at the beach and surrounding areas in Cox’s Bazar during the ceremony.
Addressing the gathering at Cox’s Bazar beach, State Minister for Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Barrister Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin said Durga Puja had been celebrated nationwide without any unpleasant incident.
This, he said, demonstrated that there was no security crisis in Bangladesh.
As the idols disappeared into the water and the drumbeats faded, devotees returned home with heavy hearts, carrying the hope of welcoming the goddess again next autumn.