Devotees bid farewell to Durga

Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangalee Hindu community, ended yesterday with the immersion of the idols of Goddess Durga and her children in water bodies across the country.

According to Hindu mythology, this is when Durga returns to her husband's house at Kailash in Devaloy (heaven).

In the capital, thousands of people thronged the Buriganga in Bosila area to observe this final phase of the festival.

Hindu devotees came to the wharf in trucks, carrying idols and singing hymns with the sounds of musical instruments such as "Shankha", "Khol", and "Dhak".

Devotees were seen bidding farewell to the mother deity and her children -- Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik, and Ganesh -- and wishing for Durga's return next year.

They also took part in the "Shidur Khela", in which female devotees offered vermilion at the feet of Durga and put it on each other wishing for their prosperity.

This year, Durga Puja was celebrated at some 32,407 puja mandaps across the country, including 248 in the capital.

The five-day festival started on October 20 with incantation (Bodhon), marking Shasthi.