Church leaders visit Puja Mandaps and exchange greetings during the Durga Festival

Church leaders and Christians in Bangladesh are extending warm greetings to their Hindu neighbors as they celebrate the Durga Puja festival on October 24.

Durga Puja is the biggest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community in Bangladesh and India.

The Episcopal Commission for Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue, Bangladesh, has extended greetings and best wishes to the Hindu community celebrating the Durga Puja festival in the Indian subcontinent.

Father Patrick Gomes, the secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Commission for inter-religious dialogue in Bangladesh, highlighted the nation's long history of religious coexistence.

"In the spirit of unity, the Rajshahi diocese has adorned towns and villages with festive greeting banners, and church leaders, as well as Christian devotees, are visiting Puja Mondos to exchange warm wishes with their Hindu friends", said Father Gomes.

He continued, "Every divine revelation brings graces and blessings. Our prayer on the occasion of Durga Puja is that as Hindus celebrate this great religious festival, may they be showered with divine blessings on each of them."

"Bangladesh is a multi-religious country, and here, people of different faiths have been living in peace and harmony for decades. So, it is our moral duty to greet each other in creative ways on various religious festivals to intensify our inter-religious harmony," Father Gomes stated. This inclusive approach extends to other religious occasions, including Muslim and Buddhist celebrations.

The Durga Puja festival holds great significance in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Tripura, and Bangladesh, as well as among the diaspora from these regions.

It is an homage to the Hindu deity Durga, whose battle with the demon ruler Mahishasura represents the triumph of righteousness over malevolence. The church leaders' cordial salutations observed during this festival serve as a manifestation of the unity and harmony that Pope Francis, in his pastoral letter "Fratelli Tutti," emphasized, wherein he emphasized that irrespective of caste, religion, or social standing, all individuals are brothers and sisters.

Hindus believe that their one holy and sacred God is incarnated on earth during the Durga Puja. So, Hindus worship and adore this deity, Durga, who is portrayed as a beautiful lady with ten hands holding symbols of divine power.

One of the devotees, Aroti Burman, said, "The Durga Puja festival is not only a religious event but also a celebration of culture and tradition. It honors our Hindu goddess Durga and commemorates her victory over the demon Mahishasur."

This year, Durga Puja was celebrated at 32,408 mandaps across the country, including 245 in the capital, according to the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad.

In the capital city, the main puja mandaps are at Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramkrishna Mission and Math, Khamar Bari of Farmgate Area, Banani, Shakhari Bazar, Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University, and Ramna Kali Mandir. - Nikhil Gomes