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Durga Puja

Sunday, 23 March 2008

Durga Puja, the greatest religious festival of the Hindu Community

The biggest religious festival of the Hindu community in Bangladesh is the festival of Durga Puja. Hindus participate in this festival with great devotion. Durga Puja is an old festival but it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty exactly how old it is.

The oldest manifestation of goddess Durga, who slew the Mahisasura, belonged to the fifteenth century AD. A series of festivals, centering on Durga Puja, is held in Bangladesh. Usually, on the sixth lunar day

Immersion of Devi Durga

of the bright fortnight in the Bengali month of Ashwin, the ceremonial awakening of the goddess Durga takes place. Thereafter, Puja is performed for three days on the seventh, eighth and ninth and the immersion of the image of the goddess Durga (with her companions) takes place on the tenth day. People exchange greetings during a period of fifteen days after the immersion of the image of the deity.

On the following full-moon day, Laksmi Puja takes place. Before that, on the new moon day usually in the month of Kartik, Kali Puja is performed. Then, on the last day oi the Bengali month of Kartik, Kartii Puja (worship of god Kartik who is the commander-in-chief of heavenly forces) is performed.

On the fifth lunar day of the bright fortnight in the Bengali month of Magh, Saraswati puja (the Hindu goddess of learning and music) is held. It is particularly popular among the students. The series of Pujas, which starts in Ashwin with Durga, comes to an end with Saraswati.

The celebration of Janmastami (lord Krishna's birthday) is an old festival of this region, particularly of Dhaka City. In almost all the regions of the subcontinent, this day is observed in some Manner as a religious festival. Janmastami is celebrated in Dhaka with special pomp and grandeur.