With devotion and festivity, this year’s Sharadiya Durga Puja concluded at Cox’s Bazar sea beach through the country’s largest idol immersion ceremony. After four days of rituals, on the fifth day, Goddess Durga was bid farewell from the mortal world. Devotees celebrated her departure with colorful processions, traditional music, and joyous gatherings.
On Thursday (October 2), amid a cloudy afternoon, the grand immersion ceremony took place at the open stage of Laboni Point on Cox’s Bazar sea beach.
This year’s Durga Puja was celebrated spontaneously in Cox’s Bazar with flawless security arrangements by the administration, along with the sincere participation of political leaders and the general public.
According to Sanatan beliefs, Goddess Durga arrived this year on an elephant (gaj bahon), symbolizing prosperity and peace, but also indicating the possibility of floods and water-related disasters. She departed in a palanquin (dola), a sign of relief from illness and sorrow, and a blessing of welfare and tranquility.
The gathering was presided over by acting president of the Cox’s Bazar District Puja Celebration Council, Uday Shankar Pal Mithu, and conducted by acting general secretary Swapan Das. Speakers highlighted Cox’s Bazar as a “center of communal harmony,” where for generations people of all religions have celebrated Durga Puja as a festival of unity.
They said, “On this day of immersion, Cox’s Bazar’s vast sandy beach is filled with people from all faiths. This is harmony, this is celebration, this is the beauty of interfaith togetherness. We must take this spirit of unity in Cox’s Bazar to greater heights.”
Distinguished guests included Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md. Abdul Mannan, Police Superintendent Mohammad Saifuddin Shaheen, former BNP MP Lutfur Rahman Kajol, former MP Almagir Mohammad Mahfuzullah Farid, Cox’s Bazar District BNP General Secretary Advocate Shamim Ara Swapna, Cox’s Bazar City Jamaat Amir Abdullah Al Faruk, and former mayor Sarwar Kamal, among others.
According to the District Puja Celebration Council, this year Durga Puja was held in 317 mandaps across nine upazilas of Cox’s Bazar. These included 31 in Sadar, 69 in Chakaria, and 45 in Kutubdia. Between September 27 and October 1, 151 idol pujas and 166 ghata pujas were performed.
Organizers and devotees celebrated the festival with great enthusiasm. But as evening fell, the joyous mood gave way to sorrow as the idols of Goddess Durga were immersed into the roaring waves of the Bay of Bengal.
Swapan Das, acting general secretary of the District Puja Celebration Council, said, “Durga Puja was observed at 317 mandaps this year. We worked in close coordination with the administration to ensure security. Thankfully, no major untoward incident took place.”
Dolon Dhar, district leader of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Welfare Front, told Kalbela, “The mandaps were under a strong security cover this year. The Durga festival was celebrated with twice the enthusiasm compared to previous years.”
Major Ehteshamul Haque, deputy commander of RAB-15 in Cox’s Bazar, added, “Strict security was maintained at every mandap. Special surveillance was arranged at vulnerable sites. As a result, the festival took place in a joyous and peaceful environment, concluding with the immersion of the idols.”
