Culture & Society

Bangladesh celebrates Durga Puja at 33,851 pandals

The six-day festival opened with Maha Shashthi at Dhakeshwari National Temple, with the government extending the holiday and deploying tens of thousands of security personnel.

ScrollBeat DeskPublished: 18 Oct 2026, 13:24

Dhakeshwari National Temple in Old Dhaka, the centre of the capital's Durga Puja celebrations. Kuruman, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Sharadiya Durga Puja, the largest festival of Bangladesh's Hindu community, began on Friday with Maha Shashthi and runs for six days, ending with Bijoya Dashami and the immersion of the idols on Wednesday, 21 October.

Rituals opened at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Old Dhaka, the focal point of the capital's celebrations. Devotees performed the bodhan, the ceremonial awakening of the goddess, while the puja mandap filled with the beat of dhak drums and traditional cymbals.

Organisers said puja is being held at 33,851 pandals across the country this year, about 1,500 more than last year, with 258 in Dhaka city. The festival marks the triumph of Goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura.

The government extended the puja holiday to three days by executive order, giving many families a five-day break from 20 to 24 October. It also raised grants for pandals to Tk 5 crore from Tk 4 crore, officials said.

Security has been tightened. About 10,000 Border Guard Bangladesh personnel are deployed for the festival, and 212,818 members of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party are working nationwide, their forces said. The Home Ministry asked authorities to keep power supplies uninterrupted at puja venues, with generators on standby.

The festival also comes amid concern over attacks on religious sites. The Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee said attacks on idols and temples had been reported during preparations in Sylhet, Rajbari, Panchagarh, Netrokona and Tangail, and that a historic Kali temple in Faridpur had been burgled. Police said suspects had been arrested after several of the incidents.

Durga Puja is observed across Bangladesh by members of the Hindu community and joined by people of other faiths, reflecting the country's tradition of communal harmony.

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Bangladesh Coast Guard personnel patrol rivers and coastal waters to enforce the 22-day ban on hilsa fishing that runs from 8 to 29 October 2026. Photo: BSS BSS

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