Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, began in Bangladesh on Friday with Maha Shasthi.

On the first day, devotees are performing Bodhan, the ceremonial awakening and invocation of Goddess Durga, marking the formal commencement of the festivities.

This year, Durga Puja are being celebrated at 33,165 mandaps across the country.

Devotees of all ages are expected to visit the mandaps and offer prayers to Goddess Durga, seeking divine blessings for peace, prosperity and the welfare of the country and its people, during the main rituals that will continue through Bijoya Dashami on October 21.

Mahalaya, which marks the beginning of preparations for Durga Puja, was observed across the country on October 9. It is associated with the ceremonial invocation of Goddess Durga and is observed seven days before the festival begins. The festival will conclude with the immersion of idols.

In a message, President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday called for collective efforts to ensure that no one faces discrimination, deprivation or insecurity because of their religion, race or communal identity.

The President said the government was committed to ensuring religious freedom and equal rights for every citizen in the country, known for its communal harmony.

He said the government was supporting the management, renovation and development of Hindu religious institutions and places of worship, as it does for other religious institutions.

In a separate message, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also urged the country’s Hindu community people to enthusiastically celebrate Sharadiya Durga Puja across the country, saying that everyone has the right to security irrespective of religion.

“Religion is a personal matter, but the state belongs to everyone. Religion is a personal matter, but the right to security belongs to all. Brothers and sisters of the Hindu community, please celebrate these festivities across the country with enthusiasm, peace of mind, and a sense of security,” he said.

He also extended his greetings to members of the Hindu community and followers of Sanatan Dharma on the occasion.

Tarique Rahman said, in his message, said Durga Puja is one of the major religious festivals of the Hindu community in Bangladesh and around the world.

This year, Maha Saptami Puja will be celebrated for two days on October 17 and 18, Maha Ashtami on October 19, Maha Nabamai on October 20.

In the capital, Hindu devotees are thronging Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Ramna Kali Mandir, Siddeshwari Kali Mandir, Jagannath Hall on the Dhaka University campus and other puja mandaps.

Exquisitely crafted, life-size idols of Goddess Durga have been installed and beautifully decorated at temples and puja mandaps across the city.

Adequate security measures were taken to ensure peaceful celebrations, with members of different law enforcement agencies deployed at puja mandaps across the country.

A total of 212,118 members of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party were deployed for security during the festival, with eight members assigned to each high-risk mandap and six to each of the other mandaps.

Besides, 104 striking teams will remain on standby to respond quickly to any untoward incident, said its Director General Major General Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud at a press conference at its headquarters on Thursday.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has also set 18 base camps and strengthened patrols to ensure security at around 1,800 puja mandaps located within eight kilometres of the country's borders during Durga Puja.

More than 6,000 members of the Special Response Battalion (SRB) were deployed across the country to ensure security during Durga Puja, with 2,457 personnel assigned to special security duties every day.

The government earlier declared a three-day holiday on the occasion of Durga Puja from October 20 to 22.

With October 23 and 24 falling on Friday and Saturday, the regular weekly holidays, there will be a five-day vacation from October 20 to 24.