Maha Saptami, the second day of the five-day Sharadiyo Durga Puja, was celebrated on Thursday with due religious fervor and gaiety.
Temples and makeshift mandaps saw a large number of devotees and visitors as beautifully crafted idols of Goddess Durga were formally installed on Maha Shasthi, which was observed on Wednesday.
Although the puja began on Maha Shasthi, devotees started visiting the puja pandals and mandaps in large numbers from today (the day of Maha Saptami).
Dressed in traditional red and white sarees and panjabis, a significant number of devotees were seen visiting puja pandals across the country this evening.
Temples and mandaps have been illuminated and beautifully decorated to mark the occasion.
Earlier in the day, Maha Saptami puja was observed across the country. As part of the ritual, the nabapatrika, a collection of nine plants including a banana tree tied together and wrapped in a white saree with red borders, was bathed in the water of nearby rivers or ponds (symbolizing the holy Ganges) and later placed next to Lord Ganesha.
Some Bengalis refer to it as 'Kolabou' (the banana-bride) and consider it one of the wives of Lord Ganesha. However, it is not actually one of Ganesha's wives. Instead, it is regarded as a representation of Goddess Durga.
The ritual is also known as 'Nabapatrika,' as the nine plants are tied together, each representing one of the nine forms of the goddess: Brahmani (banana), Kalika (colocasia), Durga (turmeric), Kartiki (jayanti), Shiva (wood apple), Raktadantika (pomegranate), Sokrahita (ashoka), Chamunda (arum), and Lakshmi (paddy).
Following the ritual, Maha Saptami puja was offered to Goddess Durga at temples and makeshift mandaps across the country. This was followed by the offering of Anjali (prayers) by devotees who had been fasting until the puja.
Later, prashad (food and water offered to the deity during worship) was distributed among the devotees.
Identical rituals were held at temples nationwide, including in the capital Dhaka.
The annual five-day Sharadiyo Durgotsab began with Kalparambho on Wednesday and will conclude with the immersion of the idols on Bijoya Dashami, on Monday.
Maha Ashtami, the third day of Sharadiyo Durgotsab, will be celebrated on Friday.
On Maha Ashtami, various rituals, including the offering of Anjali and Kumari Puja, will be held in the morning.
Kumari Puja involves the worship of a prepubescent girl as the living incarnation or avatar of Maa Durga. She is dressed in new clothes and adorned with floral ornaments. This ritual has its origins in the Puranas.
According to information from the Bangladesh Puja Uthjapon Parishad, puja celebrations are being held at 31,461 puja mandaps across the country this year, including 252 in the capital.
As in previous years, special security arrangements have been made across the country, including in the capital, to ensure peaceful celebrations of Durga Puja.