Celebration

Saraswati poised gracefully to spread knowledge.

Celebration and Knowledge

Tusar Talukder
Photo: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

Saraswati is the Goddess of knowledge and education in Hindu mythology. During the nine-day festival of Navratri, the popular forms of Goddess Shakti-Mahakali, Mahasaraswati and Mahalaxmi-are worshipped. Mahasaraswati is worshipped on the eighth day of the festival and the Goddess is depicted iconographically seated on a swan or peacock. She is worshipped either in picture or idol form. Every year the Hindu devotees celebrate this puja with great splendour. Thereupon a festive fervor gripped the country on last Saturday as schools, colleges, universities and other institutions organised Saraswati Puja to pay obeisance to the goddess of learning.

The Jagannath Hall field was worn in a festive look with fifty two colorfully decorated Puja mandaps that different departments of DU erected to offer prayers to Goddess Saraswati.

Students of the fine arts faculty installed a 35-foot-tall idol of Goddess Saraswati which, they claimed, is the largest idol of the world made of jute. Hundreds of Hindu devotees and visitors from all walks of life celebrated Saraswati Puja at Dhaka University through traditional gaiety as elsewhere across the country, with prayers for wisdom and arts.

Mitun Chakraborty, a student of English literature, said his department also built a mandap to offer prayers seeking blessing of the Goddess for accessibility to wisdom.

Thousand of students, dressed in colourful sarees and punjabis participated in festive celebrations in hall premises to solemnise the puja. Numerous departments installed various impressive idols of the goddess bearing different significances. The Puja mandaps and mandirs were decorated with light and colourful decorations to celebrate the festival.

The celebration included offering of Devi Aradhona, such as, 'puspoanjoli', 'archanas', 'anjolis', and 'aratis', distribution of 'prashad', 'arati' competitions, and cultural functions.

All day long people of Hindu community as well as people from different religions of the city visited the Puja mandaps of Jagannath hall with spouses and children.