The five-day long Durga Puja, the biggest festival of Bangalee Hindu Community, ends Monday with immersion of the Goddess Durga in the rivers and water bodies across the country.

In the morning, devotees will gather at the puja mandaps (marquees) to celebrate Bijoya Dashami, the last day of the festival.

Hindu men will bid adieu to their Deity offering her sweets and vermilion. And the women will assemble near the idol, present vermilion on her feet and forehead and then smear sindoor (vermillion) on each other’s forehead.

After returning from the mandaps, they will genuflect before the elders and touch their feet, embrace the peers and bless the little ones.

Bijoya Dashami is the special ceremony of reaffirming peace and cementing relationships as well.

Therefore, the worshipers will visit the houses of their relatives and their relatives will come to their places as well. They will entertain each other with scrumptious khichuri, sobji, luchi, sweets, nimkis and narus.

And before the time of taking the Goddess to Bijoya Dashami Ghat they will gather in the puja mandaps again.

Thousands of people will throng the rivers and other water bodies across the country today to observe the final segment of the festival – the immersion of the Goddess Durga.

Shouldering the idol of the Goddess Durga, they will go into waist-deep water into the river and immerse the Deity with a heavy heart.

The state-run and private television channels and radios will telecast special programmes while newspapers will publish special supplements marking the significance of Bijoya Dashami.

Earlier, Maha Nabami Puja was celebrated across the country on Sunday.