Celebration of the five-day Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Santan community, continues with due religious solemnity on the fourth day (Mahanavami) in Rangpur division on Tuesday.
Official sources said the administrations and authorities concerned, lawenforcers and local units of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad (BPUP) have taken adequate steps to ensure peaceful celebration of the festivity.
The celebrations will end through immersion of the idols erected in 5,488Puja mandaps in all the eight districts of the division after celebration of the 'Moha Dashami' tomorrow.
The Puja mandap premises and adjoining areas have worn eye-catching festive looks with traditional fairs where local cottage industry products, handicrafts, toys, household goods, sweets and other things are being marketed.
Hundreds of the Santan devotees including men, women, boys, adolescents, girls and youths attired in colorful dresses thronged Puja mandaps on the Mahanavami today to have a glimpse at goddess Durga and sought blessings for the well-being of humanity.
The colorfully decorated and illuminated Puja mandap premises have become crowded since Monday afternoon and overcrowded at nights, amid tight security measures.
This year, an all-time record number of 5,488 Durga Puja mandaps have been erected in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts in the division.
Talking to BSS at Shree Shree Karunamoyee Mandir Durga Puja Mandap in the city, devotees Rameswar Barman, Putul Barman, Asrukona Roy and Kakoli Rani expressed satisfaction over the security steps taken for peaceful celebration of Durga Puja.
"We are offering prayers, Puja, archana, kirtons and other religious rituals peacefully amid huge enthusiasm and cheerfulness," said another devotee Ruponti Rani Roy.
President of Rangpur district unit of BPUP Ajoy Prasad Babon said the Santan community people are celebrating the Durga Puja amid huge enthusiasm in all Puja mandaps erected in Rangpur city and all eight upazilas in the district.
He thanked the government and authorities concerned for taking adequate steps to ensure peaceful celebrations of the Durga Puja.
After visiting at different Puja Mandaps on Tuesday, the Santan devotees expressed happiness saying that they have been offering prayers, puja, archana, kirtons and performing other religious rituals peacefully without any problem.
They thanked the officials, politicians, leaders of local units of BPUP for visiting the Puja mandaps and extending all necessary cooperation in ensuring peaceful celebrations of the religious festivity.
Deputy Inspector General for Rangpur Range Police Abdul Alim Mahmud said ample steps have been taken with deployment of police, RAB, Highway Police, Ansar-VDP and community police to ensure peaceful celebrations of Durga Puja in Rangpur division.
