People of the Hindu community celebrated the Saraswati Puja with the spirit of pursuing education and knowledge, traditional gaiety and due religious fervor everywhere in the city as well as other districts in Rajshahi division on Thursday.
Puja Mandaps, temples and a large number of educational institutions have been colourfully decorated as hundreds of devotees seek blessings since morning from the `Devi Saraswati', the Goddess of knowledge.
The day is called 'Vasant Panchami'. The devotees, especially the students attired in colourful dresses, offered special prayers and observed fasting as per the ritual of the festival to seek knowledge from the Goddess Saraswati.
In Rajshahi city, a large number of images of Goddess Saraswati, symbolizing a graceful woman riding on a swan, were erected at different puja mandaps, mandirs and educational institutions.
Swaraswati Puja was celebrated at Rajshahi University, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi College, Rajshahi New Government Degree College, Rajshahi Medical College, Teachers Training College, Polytechnic Institute side by side with different educational institutions and many other places in the city.
The celebration also included offering of Devi Aradhana, Pushpanjoli, `archanas', `anjolis', `aratis', distribution of `Prasad', `Arati Competitions', cultural functions and staging of drama.
To mark the celebration, Rajshahi University Central Puja Udjapan Parishad (RUPUP) arranged a bani archana programme on central puja mandap premises today.
Hindu devotees, especially students and teachers of Rajshahi University celebrated the Saraswati Puja at the university central temple premises, setting up colorful Mandaps and placing the idol of the goddess with different types of sweet meat, fruits and other items and articles of handicrafts.
RU Vice-chancellor Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar and Pro-VCs Prof Sultan-Ul-Islam and Prof Humayun Kabir addressed the meeting as chief and special guests respectively with RUPUP President Prof Biswanath Shikder in the chair.
Similar reports on celebration of Saraswati Puja were received here from Chapainawabganj, Natore, Naogaon, Bogura, Joypurhat, Pabna and Sirajganj districts in Rajshahi division.
