Bangladesh’s Hindu community has begun the countdown to Durga Puja as Mahalaya marks the end of Pitru Paksha and the beginning of Devipaksha, ushering in the festive season with prayers, hymns and traditional rituals.

Special programmes were organised at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka early Saturday, where Chandi recitations and other religious observances marked the occasion. Dinesh Trivedi, India’s newly appointed High Commissioner to Bangladesh, attended the programme.

The main observances began at 6am with Chandi recitation. Ritual offerings, including til-tarpan in memory of departed ancestors, and special prayers were also scheduled as part of the Mahalaya programme.

Mahalaya holds special significance for Hindu devotees as it combines remembrance of ancestors with the spiritual beginning of the period associated with Goddess Durga’s arrival on Earth. The day is observed through prayers, offerings and rituals at temples and other religious venues.

According to the festival calendar, Durga Puja will be held at 33,851 mandaps across Bangladesh this year. The main celebrations will begin with Maha Shashthi on October 16 and conclude with the immersion of idols on Bijoya Dashami on October 21. The festival will span six days this year because of the calendar’s arrangement of the Saptami tithi.

Preparations are underway at temples and puja mandaps across the country, with organisers arranging decorations, lighting, religious ceremonies and cultural programmes ahead of the celebrations.

Mahalaya is observed annually to mark the transition from Pitru Paksha, traditionally dedicated to remembering ancestors, to Devipaksha, the auspicious period leading to Durga Puja. For devotees, it signals the spiritual beginning of one of the largest religious festivals celebrated by the Hindu community in Bangladesh.