Maha Saptami being celebrated across the country

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DHAKA, Oct 16, 2018 (BSS) – The five-day Durga Puja, the biggest religious
festival of the Bangalee Hindu community, entered the second day as Maha
Saptami is being celebrated with much enthusiasm and religious fervor at
temples across the country.

Saptami is the seventh day of Devi Pakhsha that begins from Mahalaya on
October 8 last heralding the advent of goddess Durga.

Maha Saptami Puja was held in the morning at temples across the country
while other rituals of the day will be held across the day.

Recitation of verses from the Holy Chandi, blowing of conch shells and
beating of dhak-dhols at temples and pandals are being continued from Maha
Shashti (Monday) which will continue till immersion of idols of goddess Durga
on October 19.

The five-day festival began on Monday with the incarnation (Bodhon) of the
Goddess Durga on the day of Maha Shashti.

Maha Ashtami, Kumari Puja and Sandhi Puja will be performed on Wednesday,
Maha Nabami Puja on Thursday and Bijoya Dashami on Friday.

The five-day festival will come to an end with the immersion of the idols
of the Goddess Durga on the day of Bijoya Dashami in the nearby rivers and
water bodies across the country on October 19.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday visited Dhakeshwari National Temple
and extended her greetings to members of the Hindu community at home and
abroad on the occasion of their largest religious festival Saradiya
Durgoutsab.

A mood of festivities is being witnessed among the devotees irrespective of
ages marking the festival while adequate security measures have been taken in
the puja pandals across the country.

Draped in new dresses, a large numbers of devotees of all ages have
already started thronging the city puja pandals, particularly at Dhakeshwari
National Temple, and offering prayers before the Goddess Durga seeking peace,
prosperity and welfare of the country and its people.

Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad General Secretary Nirmal Kumar Chattarjee
said as many as 31,272 permanent and temporary mandaps were erected in the
country, including 234 in the capital city this year.

In Dhaka city, the largest number of crowd of devotees are being seen at
Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramkrishna Mission and Math, Kalabagan, Banani,
Shakhari Bazar and Dhaka University Jagannath Hall puja mandaps.

Security was beefed up in all Puja pandals throughout the country,
including the capital, with the deployment of additional squads of Ansars,
police, RAB and other law enforcers for peaceful celebration of the festival.
Besides, voluntary groups are also performing duties at the puja pandals.

All Puja committees installed close circuit cameras and metal detectors at
their mandaps.

Apart from offering prayers before the Goddess, Dhakeshwari National Temple
has chalked out other programmes for the five-day festival including
rendition of devotional songs, distribution of clothes among the poor,
distribution of Mohaprosad, Arati competition, voluntary blood donation and
bringing out a Bijoya Dashami procession in the city from the temple
premises.

Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee
this year decided that the immersion of idols of Durga Puja would be done by
10 pm on the day of Bijoya Dashami across the country.

The organisations also urged organizers of Durga Puja across the country to
keep the processions of Bijoya Dashami off from 12 noon to 2pm on the day
coinciding with the Juma prayers.