RAJSHAHI, Oct 19, 2018 (BSS) – The five-day celebration of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangali Hindu community, ended here today with immersion of the Goddess Durga in the river Padma.
The last day rituals of the festival were celebrated amid much enthusiasm and festivity. ‘Prasad’ and sweets were distributed among the devotees and the people belonging to other communities, who visited the Puja Mandops.
Marking the Bijoya Dashami women devotees applied ‘Sindur’ on the face of goddess Durga and exchanged among themselves amid joyous and festive mood.
Before removing the idols of Durga and other gods and goddesses from the altar of all mandops or makeshift pavilions for immersion, the Hindu devotees danced and sang `kirton’.
Thousands of devotees joined the colorful marches as the idols were being carried to the nearby rivers particularly the river Padma, ponds, canals and other water bodies for immersion.
A total of 463 puja mandops, including 96 in the city, were set up in the district. Local administration distributed 231.50 tonnes of rice on the occasion of Durga puja this year.
Members of police, RAB, BGB and Ansar-VDP were on duty round-the-clock while officials, politicians and leaders of different socio-cultural organizations including Mayor of Rajshahi City AHM Khairuzzaman Liton and Indian Assistant High Commissioner Avijit Chattapadhyia visited the mandops.