Across the country, every Puja mandap is alive with the festive spirit of Sharadiya Durga Puja. In Khulna, the celebrations have already marked the conclusion of Maha Ashtami rituals, accompanied by the resonating sounds of dhak drums, conch shells, and ululation.
On Wednesday, Maha Nabami will be observed. On this day, devotees will offer oblations to Goddess Durga through a yagna (sacrificial ritual), using 108 bel leaves, mango wood, and ghee. The festival will culminate on Bijaya Dashami, when devotees bid farewell to the goddess through immersion ceremonies.
As in previous years, Khulna is brimming with the festive mood of Durga Puja. Streets, neighborhoods, and rural areas across the city are bustling with arrangements for the celebrations. Mandaps have been decorated with lights, arches, and colorful banners.
On Tuesday morning, devotees in Khulna’s Puja mandaps offered prayers and anjali to Goddess Durga after observing fasts. They prayed for peace, prosperity, and well-being. The city’s mandaps echoed with the sounds of conch shells, ululation, and dhak drums. The Maha Ashtami rituals concluded with various ceremonies, including Chandi path recitations, mantra chanting, pushpanjali, and bhog arati.
In the afternoon, Sandhi Puja began, where devotees prayed to the goddess for the welfare of the nation and communal harmony, leaving behind conflict and negativity.
A central highlight of Ashtami is the Kumari Puja, where a young girl is worshiped as a living embodiment of Goddess Durga. However, this year, no Kumari Puja ceremony was observed in any mandap in Khulna city. Nonetheless, in addition to Kumari Puja, devotees were offered prasads throughout the day at various mandaps and temples, accompanied by regular Puja rituals and other cultural activities.
This year, a total of 980 mandaps are hosting Durga Puja celebrations in Khulna district. Among them, 120 are located in the city, while 860 mandaps are spread across the nine upazilas of the district.
Special attention has been given to the design and decoration of mandaps. In Sonapatti, a grand pandal has been constructed at the local temple inspired by Tamil temples of India. Similarly, the traditional Kalibari Temple market features a pandal modeled after Indian temples. Other temples and mandaps, including Arya Dharamshava, Sheetalabari, Shibbari, Dolkhola, and Daulatpur, have been specially decorated for the festivities.
The largest mandap in the district is at the Kalar Bottala Temple in the Kharsang area of Dumuria upazila, where a total of 202 idols have been installed.
To ensure safety during the Sharadiya Durga Puja, law enforcement presence has been intensified at every mandap in Khulna. CCTV cameras, special checkpoints, and metal detectors have been installed across the city. The district administration, police, Ansar, and various volunteer organizations are actively working on the ground.
From Shashti to Dashami, police superintendents and local police officers have been assigned as responders and observers to prevent untoward incidents at mandap centers. Plainclothes police and Ansar personnel have been deployed at key mandaps, while intelligence surveillance has been intensified.
Earlier, on Sunday morning, Rear Admiral AKM Zakir Hossain, commander of Khulna Naval Area, visited Arya Dharamshava Temple. He said: “To ensure a peaceful environment for the festival, the Navy has taken various measures, including patrolling. We are fully prepared to assist devotees so that they can celebrate the Puja without any disturbance.”
Khondoker Hossain Ahmed, assistant deputy commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police, assured that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety of the celebrations. “Our team is working sincerely to make sure everyone can enjoy the festival peacefully,” he said.
He also urged residents to remain vigilant and immediately contact the national emergency service 999 or their local police station if they notice any suspicious activity.
Beginning with rituals of habitation and offering anjali, the Durga Puja celebrations are spreading messages of hope, peace, and joy among devotees. The festivities will conclude on Thursday, Bijaya Dashami, with the immersion of the goddess, marking the end of the celebrations in a spirit of joy and devotion.
