Dhaka: The Durga Puja, biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, will begin with the incarnation (Bodhon) of the Goddess Durga at temples across the country on Monday. Preparations for celebrating the greatest festival of the Hindu community in all the pandals have nearly been completed.

The five-day festival starts with ‘Bodhon’ of the Goddess Durga tomorrow while ‘Amontron’ and ‘Adhibas’ of the Goddess Durga will be held on Monday marking the Shashthi. The festival will come to an end with the emersion of the images of the Goddess Durga in the nearby rivers and water bodies on 23 October.

Centring the festival, devotees and artisans are busy taking last moment preparations and tastefully decorating the temples and pandals across the country.

President of the central committee of Bangladesh Puja Utjapan Parishad Kajal Debnath told BSS that a total of 29,074 pandals have been erected across the country including 223 in the capital city this year to celebrate the Durga Puja.

A mood of festivities persists among the devotees irrespective of ages marking the festival while adequate security measures had already been taken in the puja pandals across the country.

Throughout the day on Monday to mark the Shashthi, recitation of the verses from the Holy Chandi and blowing of conch shells (Shankha) and beating of dhak- dhols (drums) will be heard in temples and pandals in the city.

Draped in new dresses, a large numbers of devotees irrespective of ages will throng the city pandals, particularly at Dhakeshwari National Temple, and offer prayers before the Goddess Durga seeking divine blessings for peace, prosperity and welfare of the country and its people.

The Mohasaptami puja will be held on 20 October, Mohashtami and Kumari Puja and Mohanabami puja on 21 October and Biyoya Dashami on 22 October. As the Mohanabami and Biyoya Dashami this year are on the same day, there would be Darpan Bisharjan of the Goddess on October 22 and emersion of the Goddess the following day on 23 October.

In separate messages, President Mohammad Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and leader of the opposition Begum Raushan Ershad conveyed greetings to the members of the country’s Hindu community marking the festival.

Security has been beefed up in the Puja pandals throughout the country including in the capital city with the deployment of additional squads of Ansars, police, RAB and other law enforcers for peaceful celebration of the festival.

Apart from offering of prayers before the Goddess, Dhakeshwari National Temple at Lalbag has chalked out other programmes including rendering of devotional songs, distribution of clothes among the poor, distribution of Mohaprosad, Arati completion, voluntary blood donation and bring out a Bijoya Dashami procession in the city from the temple premises.

Preparations have also been completed in the tastefully decorated Puja pandals at Ramkrishna Mission and Math, Ramna Kalimandir O Anandamayee Ashram, Kalabagan, Baradeshwari Kalimata Mandir, Siddheshwari Kalibari, Bholanath Mandir Ashram, Jagannath Hall, Rishipara Gautam Ashram, Gulshan Banani Sarbojonin Puja Parishad, Basabo Balurmath, Bonogram, South Maishundi, Shankhari Bazar, Tanti Bazar, Panitola, Farashganj, North Brook Hall Road, Lalbag and other places in the city.

On the eve of the festival, leaders of Bangladesh Puja Utjapan Parishad, Mohanagar Sarbojonin Puja Committee and Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad conveyed Puja greetings to the members of all communities of the country.