The countdown to Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of Bangladesh’s Hindu community, will begin with the celebration of Mahalaya across the country on Saturday.
Various religious and cultural programs will be organized at temples, including those in Dhaka, to mark Mahalaya, which heralds the advent of Goddess Durga.
Dhakeshwari National Temple will host a series of religious and cultural programs at dawn on Saturday.
Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee General Secretary Suvasish Kumar Biswas Sadhan said the Indian high commissioner in Dhaka is expected to attend the ceremony.
Ramna Kali Mandir will also host a large-scale Mahalaya celebration at dawn on Saturday, said Mintu Basu, a joint secretary of the temple management committee.
Mahalaya marks the end of Pitru Paksha, the dark fortnight dedicated to ancestors, and the beginning of Devi Paksha, the divine fortnight. Hindus pay homage to their deceased ancestors by performing puja and offering robes to Brahmins.
According to Hindu beliefs, Goddess Durga begins her journey from her home in Kailash to her paternal abode on Earth on this occasion, marking the approach of Durga Puja.
Dhaka University Jagannath Hall Upashanalaya Chief Priest Sadhan Chakrabarty said Goddess Durga would arrive on a horse (Ghotak) and depart by boat (Nauka) this year.
Bijaya Dashami falls on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The goddess's departure by boat traditionally signifies abundant crops and rainfall, described as shasyashyamala vasundhara.
Durga Puja preparations across the country
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said Durga Puja would be held at 33,851 mandaps across the country this year, an increase of nearly 1,500 from last year.
Government funding for Durga Puja mandaps has also been increased to Tk 5 crore from Tk 4 crore following directives from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said.
Meanwhile, the government has extended the Durga Puja holiday to 3 days through an executive order in response to longstanding demands from the Hindu community.
Combined with the regular Friday and Saturday weekend holidays, the extension will provide a total 5-day break from October 20 to 24.
Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad President Basudeb Dhar welcomed the decision.
"It's truly a positive decision. We thank the prime minister for such decision," he said.
Echoing Dhar, Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee General Secretary Suvasish Kumar Biswas Sadhan also expressed gratitude to the government, saying the 3-day holiday would allow Hindus to celebrate the festival with greater enthusiasm.
Sadhan said people traveling to their home districts would face no hassle this year because of the extended holiday.
However, he called for the government to make the 3-day Durga Puja holiday permanent from next year instead of announcing it through executive orders, saying this would recognize and fulfill the community's longstanding demand.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) also welcomed the decision to declare 3 consecutive days of Durga Puja holidays.
"Through this, a long-standing demand of the minority communities has been fulfilled," said Manindra Kumar Natha, joint secretary general of the BHBCUC.
Preparations for the major festival of the Bengali Hindu community are underway across Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world. Durga Puja will formally begin with Maha Shashthi on October 16.
Puja committees, temples and mandaps across the country are completing preparations for the 5-day festival, including constructing and decorating pandals, installing idols, arranging lighting and preparing religious and cultural programs.
Authorities and local communities are also working to ensure security and smooth movement for devotees and visitors throughout the celebrations.
The festival will continue through Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami before concluding with Bijaya Dashami on October 21.
On the final day, devotees will bid farewell to Goddess Durga and take the idols in processions to designated rivers, ponds and other water bodies for immersion, known as Bisarjan.
Religious significance and rituals
Durga Puja holds deep religious and cultural significance for Bangladesh's Hindu community. It commemorates Goddess Durga's victory over the demon king Mahishasura and symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.
According to Hindu mythology, Mahishasura, empowered by a boon that made him invulnerable to men, became a threat to the gods. The gods combined their divine powers to create Goddess Durga, who fought and ultimately defeated him.
The main rituals will begin on Maha Shashthi with Kalparambha and Bodhan, the ceremonial awakening and unveiling of the goddess's idol.
Maha Saptami will feature the Nabapatrika, or Kola Bou, ritual, in which 9 plants representing different forms of the goddess are ceremonially bathed and worshipped.
Maha Ashtami will be marked by Sandhi Puja, performed at the transition between Ashtami and Navami, while Maha Navami will feature the concluding major worship rituals and bhog offerings.
As the festival approaches, mandaps in Dhaka and other parts of the country are taking shape with decorations, colorful lighting and artistic themes.
Devotees and visitors are expected to gather at the mandaps throughout the celebrations to offer prayers, receive prasad and participate in religious and cultural programs.
Observed as both a major religious occasion and an important part of Bangladesh's cultural heritage, Durga Puja brings together members of the Hindu community and people of other faiths, reflecting the country's tradition of communal harmony and peaceful coexistence.
Security and power supply arrangements
Authorities will use a mobile application previously deployed by the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) to strengthen monitoring during Durga Puja.
The application will facilitate the rapid dissemination of information about any untoward incidents and help authorities respond quickly to maintain a peaceful environment during the celebrations, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said.
The Home Ministry has instructed the relevant authorities to ensure uninterrupted electricity supplies at puja venues.
Mandap organizers have been asked to keep generators on standby around the clock and maintain rechargeable lights as additional backup in case of power or generator failures.
