Sharadiya Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community, concludes on Wednesday with the immersion of idols on the occasion of Bijoya Dashami.
After five days of rituals and festivities, Goddess Durga is set to return to her heavenly abode at Kailash, leaving devotees with a sense of melancholy at puja mandaps across the country.
Devotees have been gathering at puja mandaps since morning to mark Bijoya Dashami. As they bid farewell to the Goddess, they are offering prayers for peace, prosperity and well-being for their families, society and the nation.
According to schedules released by the Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee and Dhakeshwari National Temple authorities, the Dashami Bihita Puja and Darpan Bisarjan, the symbolic immersion of the deity’s reflection, are scheduled to be completed by 9:57am.
The day's key rituals include Devi Baran and Sindur Khela. Before the immersion, married women bid farewell to the Goddess by applying vermilion to her and offering sweets, praying for their husbands' longevity and the happiness, well-being and prosperity of their families.
They then apply vermilion, first touched to the Goddess's feet, to one another's foreheads and cheeks. The ritual is accompanied by dance, music and the exchange of sweets. Unmarried women and other devotees also join the festivities.
According to the schedule, Devi Baran is set to begin at 11:30am, followed by a voluntary blood donation program at noon.