RAJSHAHI, Oct 22, 2020 (BSS) – Celebration of the five-day Durga Puja, largest religious festival for the Hindu community, began with Goddess Bodhan here like other parts of the country today amid greatest enthusiasm and festive mood.
The Durgotsob is being celebrated in 3,419 puja mandaps in all eight districts under the Rajshahi division in addition to 87 in Rajshahi city with special arrangements amid the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic situation.
The festival features puja, arti, recitation from scriptures, distribution of prashad, offering of devotional songs and bhajans.
A large number of devotees have started visiting different puja mandaps to have a look at goddess Durga.
Each of the puja mandaps was given 500 kilograms of rice on behalf of the respective district administrations.
Rajshahi City Corporation donated Taka 10,000 to each of the city’s 76 puja mandap recently for the successful celebration of the festival.
Shyamal Kumar Ghosh, Rajshahi city unit general secretary of Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, told BSS that the Durga Puja will be celebrated in a festive mood here.
Decorations of temples, lighting, and setting up of mandaps have already turned the city into a festive look, he added.
The celebration will end through the immersion of idols of goddess Durga on Bijoya Dashami Monday.
Meanwhile, foolproof security measures were taken in the city and its adjacent areas to avert any untoward incident during the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community.
“We have adopted tight security measures to make the Rajshahi city’s Durga puja celebration festive and successful,” said Abu Kalam Siddique, commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.
Police administration of all the respective areas have chalked out elaborate security measures to make the celebration a success, he added.
Officers-in-charge of the police stations were asked to keep close contact with the puja committees round the clock.
Abdul Baten, deputy inspector general of police, said four-tier security measures have been adopted everywhere in the division.
Members of law enforcement agencies have already been deployed at all the important points of the city.
He said the leaders of Puja Udjapan Parishad have been urged to set up close circuit cameras in the major puja mandaps and arrange separate incoming and outgoing ways for male and female devotees.