RAJSHAHI, Oct 11, 2021 (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 3,432 puja mandaps in all eight
districts under the Rajshahi division in addition to 93 in Rajshahi city with
special arrangements amid the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic
situation.

     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 500 kilograms of rice on behalf of
the respective district administrations.

     Rajshahi City Corporation donated Taka 10,000 to each of the city's 93
puja mandaps recently for the successful celebration of the festival.

     Shyamal Kumar Ghosh, Rajshahi city unit general secretary of Hindu
Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, told BSS that the Durga Puja will be
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 Friday.

     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 Abu Kalam Siddique,
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.

     Abdul Baten, deputy inspector general of police, said four-tier security
measures have been adopted everywhere in the division.

     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.