The Hindu community celebrated Kumari Puja on Sunday, on the third day of Durga Puja, across the country.

Kumari Puja is performed each year to mark the Moha Astami of Durga Puja, which is the largest religious festival of the Hindu community, and is celebrated with the greatest enthusiasm, and jubilance.

The Goddess Durga is worshipped in various forms during the five-day Sharodiya Durgotsab. One of those is worshiping Kumari for blessings, and the banishment of evil, in front of goddess Durga, with an unmarried young girl symbolized as a living idol.

The religious festival is celebrated with puja (worship), arati (hymn), recitation from scriptures, distribution of prasad(food offerings), and bhajans (devotional songs).

Police sources said law enforcers are deployed at the Puja Mandaps. Besides plainclothes policemen, members of different intelligence agencies including RAB are also keeping vigil in many areas.

Puja Udjapan Parishad had urged to set up close circuit cameras at major puja mandaps.

In Chittagong, Kumari Puja started at Shantoneshori Matri Mandir of Patharghata under Kotwali police station of the city.

Several thousand Hindu devotees assembled at the city’s lone Kumari Puja venue to welcome, and worship goddess Kumari at the podium.

Eight year old Seriochi Biswas Tatoi, a class two student of St Joseph school, was decorated as the Kumari.

The puja was performed at 2144 puja Mandaps in the district, including 270 in Chittagong city.

In Rajshahi, a large number of devotees visited different puja mandaps to participate in the Kumari Puja.

The Durgotsob is being celebrated at 350 puja mandaps in 8 upazilas of Rajshahi district. 99 of the mandaps are in Rajshahi city, said Iftekhar Alam, a spokesperson for the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.

In Habiganj, Kumari puja was commenced around 10 pm at the Ramkrishna Mission of Habiganj Sadar.

Seven-year-old Soma Mallik, daughter of Soumendranath Mallik from Puran Munsefi area of Habiganj city was depicted as the Kumari, said Habiganj Sadar model police station OC Masuk Ali.

He added that Hindu people from Kishoreganj, Moulvibazar, and Sunamganj also participated in the puja.

In Dinajpur, Kumari Puja was held at the Ramkrishna Mission temple, and field in Dinajpur city.

Seven-year-old Saomi Chakraborti daughter of Sonica Bhattacharya was presented as the Kumari this year.

In Tangail, Kumari Puja was organized at the initiative of the Purna Chandra Banik family in Gurai area of Mirzapur upazila.

Our correspondents Anwar Hussain, Chittagong; Abdullah Al Dulal, Rajshahi; Md Noor Uddin, Habiganj; Faruk Hossain, Dinajpur, and Abdullah Al Numan, Tangail contributed to this report