The countdown to Sharadiya Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of Bengali Hindus, has begun with Mahalaya marking the start of the auspicious Devipaksha. Dew-covered mornings and the white blooms of autumn kash flowers are heralding the arrival of the festival.
Preparations are underway at 151 temples and Puja mandaps across Paikgachha Upazila in Khulna district. Artisans are working long hours to complete the idols, while organisers are preparing pandals, entrance arches, decorative lighting and other arrangements to create a festive atmosphere.
A visit to several Puja mandaps in Paikgachha found artisans carefully shaping the idols with clay, bamboo, straw and twine. Sculptors are working day and night to create idols of Goddess Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and the demon Mahishasura, along with other divine figures. At some temples, the clay work has been completed, while painting is underway at others.
Durga Puja is approaching alongside the bright, clear beauty of autumn. Goddess Durga is also known as Adyashakti, Mahamaya, Shivani, Bhavani, Dashabhuja and Singhbahana. According to Hindu mythology, she is called Durga because she defeated a demon named Durg or Durgama, and because she removes the suffering of living beings.
According to mythology, the demon Mahishasura, who had obtained a boon from Brahma that made him invulnerable to male opponents, seized the heavenly kingdom. The displaced gods sought help from Vishnu, whose instructions led to the creation of Goddess Durga from the combined divine energy of the gods. Empowered by their strength and equipped with various weapons, she defeated Mahishasura in battle, earning the name Mahishasuramardini.
According to the Paikgachha Upazila Puja Celebration Council, community Durga Puja will be held at 151 temples across the upazila’s 10 unions and one municipality. The festival is scheduled to begin on October 15 and conclude on October 21 with Bijoya Dashami.
The distribution of Puja venues is as follows: six in Paikgachha Municipality, 17 in Haridhali Union, 18 in Kapilmuni Union, 12 in Lata Union, 13 in Deluti Union, 12 in Soladana Union, 19 in Laskar Union, seven in Gadaipur Union, 20 in Raduli Union, 15 in Chandkhali Union and 12 in Garaikhali Union—bringing the total to 151.
Baburam Mondal, president of the Paikgachha municipal branch of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council, said various measures had been taken to ensure the festival was celebrated smoothly, peacefully and in an orderly manner. The steps, he said, were being implemented in line with directives from the council’s central and district committees and the administration.
Pran Krishna Das, convener of the Paikgachha branch of the Puja Celebration Council, said closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras had been installed at every temple. He added that the organisation had already taken the necessary measures in accordance with government instructions and guidance from the council’s central committee to ensure peaceful celebrations.
