Photo: Collected
The office room of the 200-year-old Shri Shri Kalimata Temple and Shri Shri Gour Gobinda Dev Bigraha Temple in Lalpur of Natore was inaugurated late on Tuesday night. Speaking there as chief guest, State Minister for Social Welfare Barrister Farzana Sharmin said the unbreakable bond of communal harmony in Bangladesh would never be severed.
She said, ‘We have held this tradition of harmony in our hearts for a hundred years. People of all religions live as one soul in this country, and when one is in danger another comes forward.’
The state minister said it is because of the coexistence of different religions that our national identity has become diverse. Noting that this diverse national identity provides the strength to move forward, she said they want to make this bond of harmony stronger and take the country forward.
The numbers
According to figures given by Gopal Chandra Debnath, president of the Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee, Durga Puja was held at 33,851 places across the country this time, against 32,351 the previous year; in Dhaka city puja was held at 258 places this time, against 261 the previous year – bdnews24.com reported this on 15 October.
The district picture
According to a Prothom Alo report of 29 September 2025, Durga Puja was organised at 368 temples and pavilions in Natore district, 14 more than the previous year; this information was given by Khagendranath Roy, acting president of the district puja celebration council.
At a glance
According to the results of the Population and Housing Census 2022, Hindus make up 7.95 per cent of Bangladesh’s population, down from 8.54 per cent in 2011 – the English edition of Prothom Alo reported this on 27 July 2022.
