People of the Hindu community today celebrated  the Saraswati Puja with the spirit of pursuing education and knowledge,  traditional gaiety and due religious fervour everywhere in the city as well  as other districts in Rajshahi division. Photo : BSS

RAJSHAHI, Jan 23, 2026 (BSS) - People of the Hindu community today celebrated 
the Saraswati Puja with the spirit of pursuing education and knowledge, 
traditional gaiety and due religious fervour everywhere in the city as well 
as other districts in Rajshahi division.
 
The celebration includes decorating, worshipping the goddess of knowledge, 
offering prayers, and arranging cultural programmes to mark the arrival of 
spring.
 
Major celebrations occur at Rajshahi University's central temple, along with 
various departmental, hall, and school premises.

Students and devotees place books and educational materials at the feet of 
the idol for blessings, followed by Bani Archana (adoration of the goddess) 
and Pushpanjali (offering flowers).
 
Puja mandaps, mandirs and a large number of educational institutions have 
been colourfully decorated as hundreds of devotees seek blessings since 
morning from the 'Devi Saraswati', the Goddess of knowledge.
 
The day is called 'Vasant Panchami'. The devotees, especially the students 
attired in colourful dresses, offered special prayers and observed fasting as 
per the ritual of the festival to seek knowledge from the Goddess Saraswati. 
 
In Rajshahi city, a large number of images of Goddess Saraswati, symbolizing 
a graceful woman riding on a swan, were erected at different puja mandaps, 
mandirs and educational institutions.
 
Swaraswati Puja was celebrated at Rajshahi University, Rajshahi University of 
Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi College, Rajshahi New Government Degree 
College, Rajshahi Medical College, Teachers Training College, Polytechnic 
Institute side by side with different educational institutions and many other 
places, including railway office complex, in the city. 
 
The celebration also included offering of Devi Aradhana, Pushpanjoli, 
'archanas', 'anjolis', 'aratis', distribution of 'Prasad', 'Arati 
Competitions', cultural functions and staging of drama. 
 
To mark the celebration, Rajshahi University Central Puja Udjapan Parishad 
(RUPUP) arranged a bani archana programme on central puja mandap premises.
 
Hindu devotees, especially students and teachers of Rajshahi University 
celebrated the Saraswati Puja at the university central temple premises, 
setting up colorful Mandaps and placing the idol of the goddess with 
different types of sweet meat, fruits and other items and articles of 
handicrafts. 
 
RU Vice-chancellor (VC) Professor Saleh Hassan Naquib and Pro-VCs Prof Mayeen 
Uddin and Prof Farid Uddin Uddin Khan addressed the meeting as the chief and 
special guests respectively with RUPUP President Prof Partha Biplob Roy in 
the chair. 
 
Similar reports on celebration of Saraswati Puja were received here from 
Chapainawabganj, Natore, Naogaon, Bogura, Joypurhat, Pabna and Sirajganj 
districts in Rajshahi division.