The five-day Sharadiya Durga Puja—the largest religious festival of Bangladesh’s Hindu community—concluded Thursday with the immersion of Goddess Durga’s idols across the country, marked by deep devotion, vibrant rituals, and solemn religious fervour.
On Bijoya Dashami, the festival’s final day, colourful processions carrying elaborately crafted idols emerged from temples and puja pandals. Devotees chanted mantras, beat traditional drums (dhak-dhol), blew conch shells, and performed uludhoni (ceremonial ululation) before immersing the idols in nearby rivers, ponds, or other water bodies. Earlier in the day, married Hindu women dressed in traditional white saris with red borders took part in Sindur Khela—a symbolic ritual in which they first offered vermilion and sweets to the goddess, then playfully smeared each other’s faces with sindur, exchanging blessings for marital harmony and prosperity.
Temples and pandals nationwide—including Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramna Kali Mandir, Ramakrishna Mission and Math, Siddheshwari Kali Mandir, and others—drew massive crowds of worshippers throughout the day. The morning began with Dashami Puja, followed by Darpan Bisarjan, a poignant ritual in which the goddess’s reflection is symbolically returned to the water, marking her formal departure. Priest Sadhan Chakrabarty described it as the “real farewell,” signifying the moment the divine presence leaves the idol.
After the rituals, processions wound through city streets toward designated immersion sites. While idols were once carried on bamboo frames, many are now transported on decorated trucks or boats, often taken to the middle of rivers for Bisarjan. As they bid farewell, devotees chanted “Aschhe Bochhor Abar Hobe” (“Durga Puja will return next year”), their voices echoing both joy and bittersweet emotion.
In Dhaka, major pandals at Dhakeshwari, Ramakrishna Mission, Kalabagan, Banani, Ramna, Shankhari Bazar, and other neighbourhoods attracted thousands. Immersion ceremonies in the capital were conducted under tight security, with law enforcement agencies managing traffic and crowd control. Similar scenes unfolded in divisional cities—including Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, and Barishal—as well as district towns such as Narayanganj, Faridpur, Dinajpur, Jashore, Kushtia, Tangail, Netrakona, and Satkhira.
Following the immersion, younger family members sought blessings by touching the feet of their elders, while traditional sweets like chomchom, sandesh, kalojam, and narkeler naru (coconut-jaggery balls) were shared among family, friends, and neighbours.
This year’s Durga Puja began on 28 September with Maha Shashthi, followed by Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami on 29 September, 30 September, and 1 October respectively. The festivities formally commenced with Mahalaya on 21 September, marking the goddess’s descent from Mount Kailash to Earth, accompanied by her children—Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh, and Kartik. According to traditional belief, Goddess Durga arrived this year riding an elephant—a symbol of prosperity and a bountiful harvest.
Across the country, beautifully adorned pandals displayed life-sized clay idols of the goddess slaying the demon Mahishasura—masterpieces crafted over weeks by skilled artisans, showcasing exceptional religious artistry. In Dhaka, key venues such as Dhakeshwari Temple, Ramakrishna Mission, Ramna Kali Mandir, Joykali Mandir, Jagannath Hall, and Siddheshwari Kali Mandir were transformed with elaborate lighting, thematic décor, and festive installations.
In the lead-up to the festival, shopping centres experienced a festive rush as people from all communities prepared for the celebrations. According to Basudeb Dhar, President of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, the number of pandals rose this year to 33,355 nationwide, including 258 in Dhaka city. The interim government allocated Tk 5 crore in support of the festivities.
Extensive security arrangements were implemented to ensure public safety. Personnel from the police, Ansar, RAB, BGB, and other agencies were deployed at puja sites, with local volunteers assisting in crowd management. A central control room, coordinated by the Mohanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee, operated from Dhakeshwari Temple to monitor security and facilitate real-time coordination across the capital.