Bijoya Dashami brings the curtain down on Durga Puja

Truncated Durga Puja ended on Friday with Hindus celebrating Maha Nabami and Bijoya Dashami on the same day.

The immersion of idols on Saturday, according to Hindu belief, will signify Durga’s return journey to her heavenly abode in Kailash from her paternal home on earth.

Generally, a day after Nabami, Bijoya Dashami is celebrated to mark the end of Durga Puja. Immersion is done on the day of Bijoya Dashami.

But as both Nabami and Dashami fell on the same day this year as per the almanac, immersion will be done on Saturday.

Nabami rituals concluded at 6.54am Friday by invoking Goddess to overpower all sorts of evils.

Soon after, by 8.23am Dashami puja too ended with ritualistic immersion of a mirror, which symbolises Durga’s consecrated image, and sprinkling of water on the devotees as a mark of their vow to spend the year ahead in peace and harmony.

After mirror immersion, devotees started bidding farewell to the goddess and asking her to come back soon.

After that married women indulged in a playful ritual of ‘sindoor khela’ wherein they smear each other’s face with vermillion.

Bengali Hindus believe that this ritual ushers in prosperity and happiness and gives long life to the husbands of those women who smeared their faces with vermillion.

In many pandals, this ritual will be observed on Saturday just before immersion of idols.

A member of the Puja Celebration Committee Ranjit Sarkar told bdnews24.com that they would immerse the idols on Saturday evening after completion of farewell procedures in the morning.

President of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Parishad Kajal Debnath said pandal visits would continue until the immersion of idols on Saturday.

In the capital, Bijoya processions with idols will start from Dhakeshwari National Temple on Saturday evening. The procession will be held under the aegis of Bangladesh Puja Celebration Parishad and Sarbajanin Puja Committee.

After criss-crossing thoroughfares of the capital, the devotees will bid farewell to the goddess by immersing idols in the Buriganga.

Durga Puja celebrations started on Tuesday with Sashthhi Puja.

As per the almanac, this year mode of Durga’s journey to earth was boat. She will depart in a palanquin with her two sons and two daughters.

Durga's arrival on a boat suggests calamities like flood and storms as well as rich harvest. Her departure in palanquin, according to Hindu belief, is an indication of impending epidemics, earthquakes.

This year Durga Puja was celebrated in 28458 pandals across the country. The number of pandals in Dhaka was 221.