Venue
Dhakeshwari Road, Bakshi Bazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Durga Puja in Bangladesh guide
Mandap hopping through old Dhaka.
In short
Durga Puja spans five days in the Bengali month of Ashwin, estimated at 5 to 9 October 2027 until the Cabinet Division publishes the holiday list. It suits visitors happy to wander between decorated idols and temporary mandaps in old Dhaka late into the night. Bijoya Dashami, a national holiday, brings the immersions.
Durga Puja is the largest Hindu festival in Bangladesh, five autumn days when the goddess Durga is welcomed into tens of thousands of temples and temporary pavilions called mandaps. In Dhaka the old town fills with decorated idols and families moving from one shrine to the next until late at night.
In Bangladesh the puja is a public occasion as much as a private one. The president and prime minister send greetings, Bijoya Dashami is a national holiday, and the number of venues keeps rising, now past thirty thousand. Its local form goes back to Raja Kangsa Narayan of Tahirpur.
The final day is the emotional one. Idols are carried on trucks to the rivers and lowered into the water, and the crowds sing for the goddess to come back next year.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Saturday, 9 October 2027
Where: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Venue: Dhakeshwari National Temple
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Religious Festivals
Nearest airport: Dhaka (DAC) · 43 flight routes
Currency: Taka (৳ BDT)
Time zone: UTC+6, no daylight saving
Language: Bengali (Bangla)
Map
Close to the venue
- Dhakeshwari Temple (Dhakeshwari National Temple) Attraction · 0 m
- Lalbagh Fort (লালবাগের কেল্লা) Attraction · 450 m
- Central Shaheed Minar (কেন্দ্রীয় শহীদ মিনার) Attraction · 850 m
- Chawkbazar Shahi Mosque (চকবাজার শাহী মসজিদ) Attraction · 940 m
- Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka Hotel · 3.2 km
- Hotel Nandini Hotel · 3.6 km
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Etiquette when visiting a mandap
Mandaps are places of worship, however festive they look. Take off your shoes where others do, keep a little distance from the altar while priests are working and ask before photographing people at prayer. Shoulders and knees covered is the safe choice for both men and women.
Small donations to the puja committee are welcome but never expected. If someone offers you prasad, accept it; refusing can seem rude.
Security checks and crowded lanes
Police, RAB, BGB and volunteers guard the larger venues, and screening at the gates of the larger venues is normal. Carry little, keep your phone in a front pocket and agree a meeting point in case you are separated in Old Dhaka's narrow lanes. Dial 999 in an emergency.
Since 2026 Dhaka has not allowed pujas on roads, so crowds pack into courtyards and temple grounds instead. Evenings around Ashtami are the tightest.
Sindoor khela on Dashami
On Dashami, married women in white saris with red borders offer vermilion and sweets to the goddess, then smear sindoor on each other's faces. It is a women's ritual: watch from the edge unless you are invited in, and keep your camera down if anyone looks uneasy.
- Wear clothes you do not mind staining.
- Expect slow, decorated trucks carrying idols on the way to the river.
- Leave the riverbank before dark.
Transport and safety after dark
Wikivoyage advises women not to ride rickshaws alone at night; use a ride-hailing car instead. Agree rickshaw and CNG fares before you set off; a ride of 8 km from Old Dhaka to Gulshan typically costs Tk 150-200. Have small notes ready, because drivers rarely carry change late in the evening, and save your hotel's address in Bengali on your phone.
What happens on the day
- Eve of Shashthi
Bodhon
The awakening of the goddess opens the festival.
- Saptami
The goddess enters the idol
Mandaps fill in the evenings, which is the best time to visit.
- Ashtami
The busiest day
Kumari Puja, then the Sandhi Puja at the joint between Ashtami and Navami.
- Navami
Mahaprasad
Food offered to the goddess is shared out among devotees.
- Dashami morning
Farewell rituals
At Dhakeshwari in 2025 the Dashami rituals began at about 9:57 a.m.
- Dashami afternoon
Procession to the river
Idols gather at Palashi, and the central procession leaves Dhakeshwari around 4 p.m. for immersion in the Buriganga at Waizghat.
Visiting one area of Dhaka's mandaps each evening
Plan one area per evening. A good first night is Dhakeshwari National Temple, the capital's central venue, followed by the mandaps around Bakshi Bazar. Another evening can cover Ramna Kali Temple and the puja at Jagannath Hall on the Dhaka University campus. The Ramakrishna Mission in Gopibagh is worth a morning for the rituals.
Dhakeshwari National Temple and its history
Dhakeshwari Temple on Dhakeshwari Road is said to date from the 12th century and is linked by tradition to Ballal Sen of the Sena dynasty. In 1996 it was renamed Dhakeshwari Jatiya Mandir, the National Temple. Its original idol was taken to Kumortuli in Kolkata at Partition, and a replica is worshipped today. The temple hosts the biggest Durga Puja in the capital, and after the festival a Bijaya Sammelani with music and speeches fills the parade ground next door.
The temple also runs the practical side. Its six-day programme in 2026 mixed devotional music with community meals, a lamp-offering contest, clothing gifts and a blood drive, and the city's puja committee coordinated security from a control room on the premises.
Bangladesh's puja has deep local roots. Its modern form is credited to Raja Kangsa Narayan of Tahirpur, and the scale today is national: 33,851 venues in 2026. Food is part of worship. Bhog cooked for the goddess is handed out as prasad, and between mandaps look for Old Dhaka's sweet shops selling rasogollah and golap jam.
Getting there
Flying in
Most visitors arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, about 17 km north of the centre, with direct flights from cities such as Kolkata, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai and London.
From the airport
Use the prepaid taxi kiosk by the international arrivals exit, or book Uber or Pathao. Avoid setting off in the small hours; wait in the terminal until it gets light.
By metro
Metro Line 6 runs from Uttara through Farmgate and Shahbag to Motijheel. Get off at Dhaka University for Jagannath Hall and Ramna Kali Temple. On its 2024 timetable the last train ran at 8:40 p.m., so plan a rickshaw or CNG home after the mandaps.
In the old town
Rickshaws are the right tool for the lanes around Dhakeshwari. Agree the fare before you sit down.
On Dashami
Roads close and trucks carrying idols fill the route to the river, so walk.
Where to stay during the festival
Old Dhaka puts you within rickshaw distance of the main mandaps. Gulshan and Banani have quieter, more comfortable hotels, but each trip south to the old town becomes a half-day outing in festival traffic.
Book early. In 2026 the government stretched the holiday to three days, giving many families a five-day break with the weekend, and trains and buses out of the city fill too.
Dhaka
Le Méridien Dhaka5-star hotel
5.0Excellent1 review
from$240.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
6 Rooms available
Book Now
Dhaka
Six Seasons Hotel5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$81.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
5 Rooms available
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Dhaka
Amari Dhaka5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$98.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
6 Rooms available
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Dhaka
Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka5-star hotel
5.0Excellent1 reviewFree cancellation
from$65.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
8 Rooms available
Book Now
Dhaka
Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden5-star hotel
4.9Excellent2 reviewsFree cancellation
from$67.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
7 Rooms available
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Dhaka
Hotel Nandini3-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$47.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Fitness center
- Air conditioning
5 Rooms available
Book Now
Weather and what to pack
October is the tail end of the monsoon in Dhaka. The month averages a high of about 32°C and a low of 24°C, with around 174 mm of rain over about ten wet days (1991-2020 normals).
Evenings are warm and humid, and a late-season downpour can still hit while you are moving between mandaps.
Worth packing
- Light cotton clothes that cover shoulders and knees
- Slip-on shoes, which come off at every mandap
- A compact umbrella
- Cash in small notes for rickshaws, sweets and donations
- A small bag you can keep in front of you in the crowds
Flights to Dhaka for Durga Puja in Bangladesh
The busiest routes into Dhaka (DAC).
Car hire in Dhaka
Private car with driver to Durga Puja in Bangladesh
Door to door from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) to Dhakeshwari National Temple, with stops where you like.
- Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) → Dhakeshwari National Temple
- from $28.00 per day
Restaurants and food in Dhaka
Places to eat in Dhaka before or after the celebrations.
Featured
5.0 (1 review)
Chilekotha Restaurant
House 16, Road 4, Block F. Banani Chairmanbari Moshjid Road. Beside Banani Police Station Dhaka, 1213
Cuisine:BengaliBangla-Chinese
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
Featured
5.0 (1 review)
Sky Pool Restaurant
15th Floor, Six Seasons Hotel, House 19, Road 96, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
Cuisine:InternationalBuffet
- Dine-in
- Buffet
- Outdoor seating
Featured
Picasso Restaurant
Level 12-13 & Rooftop, Rahman Regnum Center, 191/B Gulshan Link Road, Tejgaon, Dhaka 1208, Bangladesh
Cuisine:ContinentalChinese
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
5.0 (1 review)
Kathbadam Restaurant
Dasura Tower (2nd Floor), Mirpur Road, opposite Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Cuisine:BangladeshiChinese
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
5.0 (1 review)
Real Thai Sky Cafe
Khan Tower (Level 13-14), Plot 14 & 16, Sonargaon Janapath, Sector 11, Uttara, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Cuisine:ThaiContinental
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
Rozak Rooftop Restaurant
Road 11, Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cuisine:BengaliSteaks
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
5.0 (1 review)
3.0 (1 review)
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
It is a get-together held after the puja on the ground beside the temple, with music, speeches and greetings between communities. It is a relaxed way to see the festival's social side once the rituals are done.
Yes. Mandaps are open to visitors of every faith, and outsiders are welcomed. Behave as you would in any temple and follow the lead of the people around you.
Yes, the monastery in Gopibagh celebrates every year and attracts large numbers of devotees. Go in the morning for the rituals; the atmosphere is more devotional and less of a street party than the Old Dhaka mandaps.
Most go into the Buriganga at Waizghat in the Sadarghat area. Idols from across the city gather at Palashi before the main procession leaves Dhakeshwari in the afternoon.
Yes. Chattogram's Anandamoyi Kalibari, the Choumuhani puja in Noakhali and big gatherings in Khulna and Barishal all draw visitors. Immersion processions also head to the Surma in Sylhet and the Padma in Rajshahi.
Ashtami, the third main day, carries Kumari Puja and the Sandhi Puja, and its evening brings the heaviest crowds to the mandaps. Dashami is busy in a different way, with processions heading to the rivers.
You can walk alongside it on the streets of Old Dhaka. Keep clear of the trucks, stay with a local friend if you can and turn back before the riverside fills up.
It is the farewell chant at the immersion, roughly 'it will happen again next year'. You will hear it shouted from the trucks as the idols reach the river.
Timing & weather
Bijoya Dashami is a national holiday, and Ashtami and Navami are optional ones. In 2026 the government extended the break to three days, so offices, banks and many shops close at the end of the festival.
Booking
Organisers counted 33,851 puja venues across the country in 2026. Dhaka alone had 258, slightly fewer than before because roadside pujas were no longer allowed in the capital.
Health & safety
Security is heavy, with police and volunteers at the main mandaps and a control room at Dhakeshwari. Usual city precautions apply: carry little, avoid the densest moments and travel home by car late at night.