Hindu community celebrates Lakshmi Puja today

The Hindu community of the country is celebrating Lakshmi Puja in an intimidation as their temples and Durga idols were vandalised, some houses put on arson and events of looting took place across some regions of Bangladesh, recently.

The puja follows Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community and celebrated during full-moon (pournima) in the month of Ashwin.

At home, Lakshmi is worshiped as the goddess of wealth and prosperity.

She is also the goddess of progress (spiritual and worldly), light, knowledge, good fortune, generosity, courage and beauty.

The puja generally takes place at home temples and various sweet laddus are distributed among the neighbours.

One of the religious festivals of the Hindu community is also known as Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. Kojagari means 'who is awake'. According to traditional Hindu beliefs, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, abundance, beauty and prosperity, came down to earth from Vishnuloka to worship on the full moon day of Ashwin, the brightest night of the year. If Goddess Lakshmi is satisfied, there will be no financial problems in the family and happiness and comfort will increase. Going to the door of the people, the goddess asked, "Who are you awake?" So worshipping Lakshmi goddess is important for the aspiring Hindu devotees.

Hindus believe that Goddess Lakshmi is two-armed and her vehicle is an owl and she has a store of grain in her hand. However, outside Bengal, the quadrangular Kamale-Kamini idol of Lakshmi is more common. Lakshmi is worshiped in the homes of almost every Bengali Hindu. On this occasion Hindu women observe fasting vows.

This puja requires rice husk, raw betel nut, banana leaves, banana peel, alpana and other ingredients. Today, the impression of mother Lakshmi is being adorned in the yard of the householder with Mangalghat and rice rhyme. On the occasion of Lakshmi Puja, Anjali, Prasad are being distributed and guests are being entertained at various temples and mandapas across the country as well as at the homes of Hindus.

Dhakeswari National Temple, Ramkrishna Mission and Math Temple, Ramsita Temple, Panchananda Shiva Temple, Gautam Temple, Radha Madhav Vigraha Temple, Radha Govinda Jio Tagore Temple Various religious programs have been organized.