Durga Puja: Heritage, harmony and economy of celebration

Durga Puja is one of the most profound religious and cultural festivals of the Hindu community, particularly in Bengal. At its spiritual core is the worship of Devi Durga; Shakti, the divine feminine power that protects righteousness, destroys destructive forces, and sustains life. Yet in Bangladesh, Durga Puja has significance beyond the boundaries of a religious ceremony. It is also a celebration of Bengali heritage, art, music, craftsmanship, family, community, and human solidarity. The festival reminds us that the victory of good over evil is a universal aspiration and that social harmony is strengthened when people respect one another’s faith and traditions. This year, the worship will take place from 16th to 21st October 2026, concluding with Bijoya Dashami on Wednesday, 21st October.
The idea of the divine goddess Devi Durga has deep roots in the Hindu scriptural tradition, though the early Vedic conception of divine feminine power differs from the later, fully developed worship of Durga. The Rigveda contains hymns celebrating the feminine divine, including the Devi Sukta associated with Vak, the Divine Speech. Durga, as the great warrior goddess, becomes prominent in later literature.
The Durga Suktam, preserved in the Taittiriya Aranyaka tradition, invokes Durga as the power who helps devotees cross difficulties. The fullest classical narrative appears in the Devi Mahatmya, part of the Markandeya Purana. There, the gods, defeated by the buffalo demon Mahishasura, combine their energies, from which the Goddess manifests as Chandika or Mahadevi. Armed with the gods’ weapons and riding a lion, she defeats Mahishasura and restores cosmic order. Shakti is thus presented as the dynamic power of the universe through which creation, protection and transformation become possible. The text also describes the Goddess as Prakriti, the universal Mother. Mahishasura symbolises arrogance, violence, disorder and ignorance, and his defeat represents the triumph of dharma.

Sharadiya Durga Puja is observed over several principal days, from Bodhan through Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Bijoya Dashami, with local variations. The idol is prepared with devotion and artistic skill, and the mandap becomes the focal point of worship through pran-pratishtha, mantra, flowers, incense, lamps, offerings, and arati.
Mahashtami is especially important, while Sandhi Puja marks the sacred juncture between Ashtami and Navami. Kumari Puja, observed in many Shakta traditions, reveres the divine feminine in the form of a young girl. Dashami brings the farewell of the goddess and the immersion of the image, which Bengali tradition understands emotionally as the mother returning home after visiting her children.
But Durga Puja is not only a ritual. It brings dhak(drum), devotional music, cultural programmes, community meals, new clothes, and shared joy. In Bangladesh, the mandap often becomes a place where neighbours of different faiths meet and celebrate with mutual respect.
Historical accounts trace Durga Puja in Bengal back several centuries, as the festival moved from aristocratic household worship towards community-based celebrations. After Partition and the decline of zamindari patronage, community-funded pujas became increasingly important. In independent Bangladesh, institutions such as Dhakeshwari National Temple and numerous community mandaps have sustained the tradition, and the festival has long been woven into the cultural rhythm of Dhaka.
Religious harmony should not mean merely tolerating another community’s festival; it should mean protecting every citizen’s right to worship safely and with dignity. When neighbours of different faiths visit one another’s festivals and reject hate speech and violence, the constitutional and cultural ideal of Bangladesh grows stronger.
Religious festivals also create substantial economic activity. Durga Puja generates demand across clay and bamboo work, idol making, transport, lighting, decoration, tailoring, fashion, sweets, food, printing, handicrafts, flowers, and small retail. Artisans and temporary workers find seasonal employment, and local markets benefit from increased spending.
Recent economic commentary has estimated the Durga Puja festival market in Bangladesh at roughly Tk 20,000 crore, counting spending on mandaps, decoration, clothing, bangles, sweets and handicrafts. Earlier reports similarly documented increased sales in fashion houses, retail outlets and sweets shops during the festival period. Supporting safe, well-organised festivals therefore also supports artisans, entrepreneurs, retailers and transport workers, helps preserve traditional skills and generates income for thousands of families.
Any honest reflection on harmony must also acknowledge a painful side of the story. Over the years, places of worship and idols have at times been vandalised by miscreants, often around festivals, when communities are most visible and vulnerable. Such incidents wound the faith and dignity of an entire community and undermine the trust a plural society depends on. These unexpected and unacceptable incidents must be brought to light so that victims are heard, facts are established and the real perpetrators are identified.
We therefore urge the government to give special attention to this issue. Incidents of attacks on temples, mandaps, idols and other places of worship since the birth of Bangladesh should be identified, documented and examined through a transparent and impartial process. Where wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face fair and timely legal action, and affected communities should receive support. Prevention matters equally: stronger security at worship places during festivals, swift response to rumours and provocations, and a clear message that no one may take the law into their own hands.
The deepest message of Durga Puja is the victory of good over evil. In contemporary Bangladesh, this message should inspire us to defeat hatred with compassion, discrimination with fairness, violence with dialogue and suspicion with mutual trust. Communal harmony is not created by speeches alone. It is built through everyday behaviour: protecting a neighbour’s place of worship, respecting another’s religious practice, standing against rumours and hate speech, helping one another in difficulty, and teaching children that diversity is a strength. Every festival-- Eid, Durga Puja, Buddha Purnima, Christmas, Pahela Baishakh-- can deepen our shared sense of belonging.
Let Durga Puja therefore be a celebration not only of Shakti (universal power) but also of humanity. May the Goddess inspire courage to resist injustice, wisdom to understand one another, compassion to serve society and strength to preserve peace. Let the light of the festival illuminate a society where every citizen can say with confidence: this country belongs to all of us.

The writer is Senior Assistant Director at the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC)