Photo: BSS

KURIGRAM, Sept 8, 2026 (BSS) - With only 38 days left for the celebration of Sharadiya Durga Puja, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Hindu community, potters in Phulbari upazila of the district are busy making idols of Goddess Durga.

As the festival draws closer, preparations to welcome the goddess at temples are gaining momentum alongside the traditional craft of idol-making.

With skilled touches of straw, bamboo and clay, the idols of Goddess Durga are gradually taking shape.

During a recent visit to Palpara village in Chandrakhana area of the upazila, potters were seen working intensively to prepare the idols well ahead of the festival.

Sitting in the courtyard of his home, potter Dinesh Chandra Pal was seen carefully shaping an idol of Goddess Durga. He has hardly any time to rest from morning till evening.

Dinesh, who has been preserving the traditional craft inherited from his ancestors, has been making Durga idols for the past 13 years.

Talking to BSS, Dinesh Chandra Pal said he started preparations for making idols nearly three months ahead of the festival, as he does every year. The preliminary work on five idols is already nearing completion.

However, he expressed concern over the rising prices of raw materials required for making the idols.

“It costs around Taka 8,000 to Taka 9,000 to make each idol. So far, I have spent around Taka 90,000 on five idols,” Dinesh said.

“The prices of bamboo, straw, clay and colours have increased significantly compared to previous years. After meeting all expenses, I will be able to make some profit if each idol is sold for Taka 12,000 to Taka 14,000 or Taka 16,000. If I have to sell them for less than that, I will incur losses,” he said.

The same situation prevails in the homes and workshops of other potters in the upazila. While some are making the inner structures of the idols with bamboo and straw, others are applying layers of clay to give the idols their final shape.

The artisans said their workload would increase several times as the festival approaches.

Local priest Birendra Nath Roy told BSS that the five-day Sharadiya Durga Puja will begin with Shashthi Puja on 28 Ashwin of Bangla year 1433, corresponding to October 16, 2026.

A festive mood has already spread among members of the Hindu community across the upazila.

President of the Phulbari upazila unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad Kartik Chandra Sarker and President of the upazila unit of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council Sunil Chandra Roy told BSS that preparations at different puja mandaps across the upazila have been intensified.

They said the final list of puja mandaps would be published within the next two weeks.

They added that Durga Puja was celebrated at 74 mandaps across the upazila last year in a festive and peaceful atmosphere.

This year, the number of mandaps is also expected to remain almost the same, they said, expressing hope that the festival would be celebrated with enthusiasm while maintaining communal harmony.