Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, will end in Bangladesh on Wednesday with the immersion of idols of Goddess Durga and her children in water bodies across the country.
According to Hindu belief, the goddess Durga will return to her husband's abode at Kailash in Devaloy through immersion.
In the capital, thousands of people will throng the Buriganga River to observe the final phase of the festival -- immersion of the goddess.
Devotees will bid farewell to the mother deity and her children - Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh - through the immersion of their idols, wishing Durga's return next year.
As part of the main rituals of Dashami Puja celebrations, female devotees will offer vermilion at the feet of Durga at mandaps and temples across the city, which is part of the traditional “Sindur Khela”.
The Hindu women will then put vermilion on each other, wishing for prosperity in their lives, as a tribute to the power of Goddess Durga.
Meanwhile, Maha Nabami was celebrated at puja mandaps across the country on Tuesday.
The six-day festival started on October 16 with the incarnation of Goddess Durga. This year, Maha Saptami was celebrated for seven days.
Durga Puja, the annual Hindu festival also known as Sharadiya (autumnal) Durga Utsab, is the worship of "Shakti", the divine force, embodied in goddess Durga.
It symbolises the battle between good and evil, where the dark forces eventually succumb to the divine.
This year, Durga Puja is being celebrated at 33,165 mandaps across the country.
