RAJSHAHI, Oct 20, 2023 (BSS) - Celebration of the five-day Durga Puja, largest religious festival for the Hindu community, began with Goddess Bodhan here like other parts of the country today amid great enthusiasm and festive mood.
 
The Durgotsob is being celebrated in 3,573 puja mandaps in all eight districts under the Rajshahi division in addition to 101 in Rajshahi city amid tight security measures.
 
The festival features puja, arti, recitation from scriptures, distribution of prashad, offering of devotional songs and bhajans.
 
A large number of devotees have started visiting different puja mandaps to have a look at goddess Durga.
 
Each of the puja mandaps was given Taka 20,000 on behalf of the Rajshahi City Corporation in the city.
 
Shyamal Kumar Ghosh, Rajshahi city unit general secretary of Puja Udjapan Parishad, told BSS that the Durga Puja is being celebrated in a festive mood here.
 
Decorations of temples, lighting, and setting up of mandaps have already turned the city into a festive look, he added.
 
The celebration will end through the immersion of idols of goddess Durga on Bijoya Dashami on Wednesday.
 
Meanwhile, foolproof security measures were taken in the city and its adjacent areas to avert any untoward incident during the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community.
 
"We have adopted tight security measures to make the Rajshahi city's Durga puja celebration festive and successful," said Biplob Bijoy Talukder, commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.
 
Police administration of all the respective areas have chalked out elaborate security measures to make the celebration a success, he added.
 
Officers-in-charge of the police stations were asked to keep close contact with the puja committees round the clock.
 
Members of law enforcement agencies have already been deployed at all the important points of the city.
 
He said the leaders of Puja Udjapan Parishad have been urged to set up close circuit cameras in the major puja mandaps and arrange separate incoming and outgoing ways for male and female devotees.
 
Anisur Rahman, deputy inspector general of police, said four-tier security measures have been adopted everywhere in the division.
 
He said stern legal action will be taken against those who will be found engaged in destroying communal harmony and there will be no place for communalism.