Two-day ‘Astami Snan’ ends in Brahmaputra

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RANGPUR, Apr 13, 2019 (BSS) – The two-day holy religious festivity of the Sanaton community ‘Astami Snan’ ended this afternoon in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram in the river Brahmaputra with due religious fervour and solemnity.

The four-kilometre riverbank of the Brahmaputra from Puthimari Kajoldanga Ghat to Ramna Ghat point of Chilmari turned into a human sea during the two-day celebrations of the ‘Astami Snan.’

Talking to BSS, President of Chilmari unit of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad Dr Salil Kumar Barman said about five-lakh devotees from Bangladesh and India bathed in the sacred Brahmaputra water during the two-day religious festivity this year.

“The Sanaton devotees including men, women, youths and adolescents from across the country and neighbouring India gathered there to celebrate the festivity by dipping in the sacred Brahmaputra water to get rid of their sins,” Barman said.

“Like the previous years, the Sanaton pilgrims participated in the holy dip with due religious rituals and reciting ‘Hari Nam’ and offering puja, rendering devotional songs and ‘kirtons’ to get them purified,” Barman said.

The authorities concerned and Chilmari Puja Udjapon Parishad with assistance of other organisations arranged necessary facilities there for rendering `mantra path’, devotional songs, ‘kirtons’ and other religious rituals.

Talking to BSS, Chilmari Upazila Chairman Shawkat Ali Sarker, Bir Bikram, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shah Md. Samsuzzaman and Officer-in-Charge of Chilmari Thana Aminul Islam expressed satisfaction over smooth conducting of the ‘Astami Snan.’

“Around two dozes of government, non-governmental, voluntary and religious organisations rendered services to the pilgrims assisting them smoothly performing the century-old religious and traditional rituals of the holy festivity,” Sarker said.

Member of law enforcement agencies were deployed there to maintain law and order for peaceful celebrations of the festival.

Meanwhile, the two-day ‘Astami Mela’ arranged there on the occasion also ended today with huge sale of various locally made products, including handicrafts, indigenous and household goods.