The Sharadiya Durga Puja, a major religious festival for Bengali Hindus, commences today with Shoshti. Goddess Durga, arriving from her in-laws' home in Kailash (heaven) as a daughter, will visit her father's home on Earth. This year, she arrives on an elephant and will depart in a palanquin.
Today, before 9:58 AM, the Shoshyaadi Kalpa and Shosthi ritual worship of Goddess Durga will take place. In the evening, the goddess will be invited and welcomed.
According to mythology, the gods, defeated by demonic forces, were cast out of heaven. To destroy this malevolent power, the gods united. A great power emerged to annihilate the demonic forces. Goddess Durga, the destroyer of demons, arose from the radiance of the gods.
The auspicious time for Sharadiya Durga Puja, Shubh Mahalaya, occurred on September 21, marking the beginning of Devi Paksha. Today, with Durga Shoshti, the Durga Puja officially begins. Tomorrow is Maha Saptami, followed by Maha Ashtami on Tuesday, Maha Navami on Wednesday, and Vijaya Dashami on Thursday.
According to the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and the Mahanagar Sarvajanin Puja Committee, this year, 33,355 Durga Pujas will be held across the country in pandals and temples. Last year, there were 31,461 Durga Pujas nationwide, indicating an increase of 1,894 this year. Additionally, 259 Durga Pujas will be held in Dhaka this year, an increase of 7 from last year.
