160 idols, 462 puja mandaps set to draw crowds in Pirojpur

Preparations are in full swing at 462 Durga Puja mandaps across Pirojpur ahead of the Hindu festival, with thousands of artisans and workers putting the finishing touches on decorations in Pirojpur’s seven upazilas.

Among the attractions, the Sri Sri Raj Mandir in Kobutor Khali village of Gulishakhali Union in Mathbaria is preparing a special display featuring 160 idols of deities.

A visit to the temple premises found workers busy setting up pandals, idols, alpana designs and other decorations. The idols have been arranged in rows, while the temple grounds are being decorated around different themes.

Images of notable personalities and messages promoting positive and humanitarian values have also been put up on trees and around the premises.

Organisers say the Raj Mandir festival is set to be one of the largest Durga Puja celebrations in southern Bangladesh. The festivities are scheduled to begin on October 15.

The event is being organised at the Haldar family home in Kobutor Khali by orthopaedic specialist Dr Sudip Kumar Haldar and gynaecologist and surgeon Dr Snigdha Chakraborty.

The couple began the celebration in 2016 with 40 idols after being inspired by a large-scale Puja they had seen in neighbouring Morelganj. The event has expanded every year, with the number of idols exceeding 300 in some recent years.

This year, the organisers are combining the religious festivities with a range of social initiatives. 

A breastfeeding corner will be available for mothers visiting the venue, while sanitary pads will be distributed daily. Support for poor but meritorious students and other social welfare activities will also be arranged.

Visitor Tanmoy Mitra, who travelled from Barguna, said he had come to see the new attractions as he does every year. The inclusion of truck-mounted idols is a new feature this year, he said, adding that he planned to return with his family during the Puja.

Idol-maker Ujjal Biswas Guru said he had been working at the venue for two years. “It took four to five months of work to complete the idols,” he said, adding that he had not seen such a large-scale arrangement elsewhere.

Suman Haldar, secretary of Raj Mandir, described the celebration as the largest Puja in southern Bangladesh and the Barishal division. He said several hundred thousand people usually visit the venue over the five days of the festival.

Organiser Dr Sudip Kumar Haldar said the main attraction this year would be the display of 160 idols, with more than half scheduled to be showcased on trucks. Preparations for the truck displays have been underway for the past six months.

Free meals will also be served to devotees and visitors from 1pm to 4pm throughout the five days of the festival, he said.

According to Haldar, visitors come from different parts of Bangladesh as well as from abroad. The organisers expect between 400,000 and 500,000 visitors this year.

Pirojpur Superintendent of Police Mohammad Talebur Rahman said the district police had drawn up a comprehensive security plan for Durga Puja.

Each Puja mandap will have a dedicated security arrangement, with both uniformed and plainclothes police officers deployed to ensure safety during the celebrations.