Bijoya Dashami: Farewell To Durga

Temples and puja venues across Bangladesh, filled with fun and merriment due to the ongoing Durga Puja, now see an air of melancholy descend as the puja ends with Dashami.

With laughter and tears, Hindu devotees bid farewell to goddess Durga.

On Tuesday (October 24), the devotees prayed to the goddess for their welfare amid the sounds of drums and conch shells, marking the tenth day of the puja.

The festivities will end in the afternoon with the immersion of the idol. Then, the devotees have to wait another year to invite the goddess back to the mortal world.

Bijoya Dashami brings joy and melancholy to the Hindus as they believe the goddess leaves for her abode in Kailash.

"Mahisasura (the buffalo demon) lost the battle with the goddess, and she killed him. She attained Bijoy or victory on this day, so we call it Bijoya," said Dharmadas Chattapaddhaya, chief priest of the Dakeshwari National Temple.

According to Hinduism, through the immersion ritual, goddess Durga returns to her husband with her children after visiting her parents. She will visit again next autumn.

Bijoya rituals began at the Dakeshwari National Temple on Tuesday morning.

"We offered our puja with ten ingredients on the day of Dashami and ended the ritual with immersion in the mirror. You can call this the immersion of the goddess' reflection. We offered Anjali following the immersion," the chief priest said.

Hindu women play with vermilion on the morning of Bijoya. "Only married women take part in this ritual where they have fun and seek long life for their husbands and blessings for their families," Dharmadas said.

The vermilion ritual took place at noon.

This year, Durga Puja was celebrated in 32,407 temples and pavilions across the country. In Dhaka, the main venues include the Dhakeshwari National Temple, the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Kalabagan, Banani, Ramna Kali Mandir, Shakhari Bazar, and Tantibazar.

According to Hindu beliefs, the 10-armed goddess Durga arrives as a 'maiden' on Mahalaya, and devotees bid her farewell for the year at the end of the puja, hoping for her swift return. The festival lasts for five days, including her arrival and departure.