The largest religious festival of Bengali Hindus, Durga Puja, will end today with immersion of Durga idols all over the country including the capital.

The Hindus will also celebrate Bijoya Dashami in the morning according to the lunar calendar.

"All Durga idols from the puja mandaps of the capital will be brought together in Palashi at 3:00pm. A colourful procession will parade through different areas of the city," said Jayanta Sen Dipu, president of Mohanagar Sharbojoneen Puja Committee. "Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) selected Waiz Ghat on the bank of river Buriganga as the place from where the idols will be immersed in the river," he added.

Thousands of Hindu devotees yesterday observed Maha Nbami with great festivity at all puja mandaps in the city as elsewhere in the country.

Devi Durga was offered the Nabami Bhog of food and fruits which was later distributed among the devotees visiting the mandaps.

Bijoya Dashami is the special ceremony to reaffirm peace and good relations among people. Families visit each other to share sweets during the Dashami festivities. Married Hindu women put vermillion (sindur) on each other's forehead on the eve of Dashami.The Hindus believe Dashami is the day when Goddess Durga accompanied by her children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh leave for Kailash, her husband's abode.

Mahalaya, the first day of the festivities, is followed by a series of unique rituals on the days of Sashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Nabami and Dashami or Bijoya Dashami.

Festivities intensify on the days of Maha Saptami, Maha Astomi, Maha Nabami, culminating in Bijoya Dashami, which marks the end of Durga Puja.

Durga Puja, the greatest extravaganza of the Bengali Hindus, is the worship of 'shakti' or divine power symbolised by Devi Durga. The worship is a tribute to the fight between good and evil with the dark forces eventually succumbing to the divine.

President Iajuddin Ahmed and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday greeted the Hindu community on the occasion of Durga Puja through separate messages.

"Religious festivals widen liberalism in human beings and teach harmony and unity among all. I firmly believe the Durga festival will consolidate further the harmony and sense of unity among the people of the country," the president said in a statement.

Leaders of political, social, and cultural organisations, and members of the civil society yesterday visited Durga Puja mandaps and exchanged greetings with the Hindus.