Khulna to Celebrate Durga Puja at 981 Mandaps

With only six days remaining until Durga Puja, preparations are in full swing across Khulna district, as artisans and organisers put the final touches on idols and mandaps.

This year, 981 mandaps will host the festival, including 120 in Khulna city. The formal celebrations will begin on 28 September with the Maha Shashthi rituals and will conclude with the immersion of idols and processions on 2 October.

As devotees flock to shopping centres ahead of the festival, local temples are witnessing intense activity. Idol-making is largely complete, with artisans now focused on painting and decorating the idols.

Chandra Shekhar Paul, an idol maker at Dharmashova Temple, remarked:

“This year there are more mandaps compared to previous years. We received huge orders for idols. Clay work started 10–15 days ago, and we are now in the final stage of painting.”

He added that raw material costs—clay, rope, straw, bamboo, and jute—have risen significantly.

• Labour Requirement: 5–8 workers for 12–16 days for large idols; smaller ones take roughly two weeks.
• Production: Over the past two months, Chandra Paul has crafted 28 idols and is currently working on seven more.
• Cost: Each idol costs approximately Taka 60,000–70,000.

Currently, about 100 Paul groups in Khulna are engaged in idol-making, with 80% of the work already completed.

According to directives from the Ministries of Home Affairs and Religious Affairs, Ansar members will be deployed at every mandap throughout the festivities, alongside other law enforcement agencies.

Joint forces including the army, navy, coast guard, and police will bolster patrols before and during the festival.

• Surveillance: CCTV cameras will be installed at all mandaps.
• Misinformation: Strict action will be taken against the spread of rumours or false information on social media.
• Control Room: A round-the-clock control room will operate at the KMP and Police Super office.

Khondokar Hossain Ahmad, Assistant Deputy Commissioner (Media) of KMP, said: “KMP will take adequate security measures ahead of Durga Puja. We will professionally cooperate and perform our duties with utmost sincerity and cordiality to ensure a smooth and peaceful celebration.”

He added that security measures have been taken during idol-making, the festivities, and the immersion of idols, urging the public to contact emergency service 999 or the OC of their local police station if any untoward incident occurs.

This year, the government has allocated 468.5 tonnes of rice for 937 puja mandaps across all nine upazilas in the district. The distribution is as follows:

With these extensive preparations, Khulna is set to celebrate Durga Puja on a grand scale, blending cultural splendour, community spirit, and robust security measures to ensure a safe and joyful festival.