Durga Puja

This week was Durga Puja, one of the main Hindu holidays. Although Bangladesh is only about 14% Hindu, these communities tend to group together in specific towns or areas creating vibrant cultural centers. The festival goes on for about a week and includes numerous traditional rituals; some background and description is available here. Today we went to see some of the pandals, or temporary temples, that have been constructed in a Hindu part of Dhaka. The Hindu community celebrates with new clothes, and everyone was out in their finest to give offerings to the gods. Interestingly, even the Muslims come out to observe the festivities. Above is a picture of Durga in one of the pandals.