Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victory over Mahishasura. It is the biggest festival of Bengali Hindus and the Indian state of West Bengal. A 2019 study by the British Council estimated the economic value of creative industries associated with Durga Puja in West Bengal at ₹32,377 crores. West Bengal's capital city Kolkata's Durga Puja has been inscribed on the intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO in December 2021.
Dhakeshwari National Temple is a Hindu temple in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is state-owned, giving it the distinction of being Bangladesh's 'National Temple'. The name "Dhakeshwari" means "Goddess of Dhaka". Bangladesh is the only country in the World to have a National Hindu Temple. It's one of the holiest Shakta pithas where the gem of Devi sati's crown fell but the gem is lost long ago and the main ancient Vigraha or stone murti is relocated to Kumortuli West Bengal during the partition time by the chief priest due to increased attacks on Hindu temples in Bangladesh.
Kurigram District is a district of Bangladesh in the Rangpur Division. The district is located in northern Bangladesh along the country's border with India. Under British rule, the area was organized as a mahakuma and was not established as a district until 1984.
Lalmonirhat District is a District, situated at the northern border of Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division. Lalmonirhat mahakuma was established as a district on 1 February 1984. To the north of Lalmonirhat lie Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts of West Bengal; to the south lies Rangpur, to the east lie Kurigram and Cooch Behar; and to the west of lie Rangpur and Nilphamari District. The international border line of Lalmonirhat district is 281.6 km long.
Nilphamari District is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division. It is about 400 kilometers to the northwest of the capital Dhaka. It has an area of 1,580.85 square kilometres (610.37 sq mi). Nilphamari is bounded by Rangpur and Lalmonirhat in east, Rangpur and Dinajpur in south, Dinajpur and Panchagarh in west, Cooch Behar of India in north. The headquarters are in Nilphamari, but the largest city is Saidpur.
Barisal, officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Division. It is one of the oldest municipalities and river ports of the country. The city was once called the Venice of the East or the Venice of Bengal.
Muktagacha is an upazila of Mymensingh District. in the Division of Mymensingh, Bangladesh. It is known for sweets which are made here, called "Monda". It is also known for the Rajbari of Brahmin family which is currently used as an educational institute, Shahid Shrity College.
Phulbari is an upazila of Kurigram District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh.
Rajarhat is an upazila of Kurigram District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh. Since 1981 it has been a Thana and later on September 14, 1983, it was turned into an upazila by the government.
The Dharla River is a tributary of the Brahmaputra which is a trans-boundary river flowing through India, Bhutan and Bangladesh. It originates from Kupup/Bitang lake lying in Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary of East Sikkim in the Himalayas where it is known as the Jaldhaka River. It then flows through East Sikkim, India then goes to Samtse District, Bhutan and returns to India again at Kalimpong district. From there, it flows through Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts of West Bengal, India, one of the seven main rivers to do so. Here the river enters Bangladesh through the Lalmonirhat District and flows as the Dharla River until it empties into the Brahmaputra River near the Kurigram District. Near Patgram Upazila, it again flows easterly back into India. It then moves south and enters Bangladesh again through Phulbari Upazila of Kurigram District and continues a slow meandering course.
Bengali Hindus are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand, and Assam's Barak Valley region. In Bangladesh, they form the largest minority. They are adherents of Hinduism and are native to the Bengal region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. Comprising about one-third of the global Bengali population, they are the largest ethnic group among Hindus. Bengali Hindus speak Bengali, which belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family and adhere to Shaktism or Vaishnavism of their native religion Hinduism with some regional deities. There are significant numbers of Bengali-speaking Hindus in different Indian states.
The Muktagachha Shiva temple is a twin temple located outside the Rajbari of Muktagachha, located in the Mymensingh District of Bangladesh. The temple was constructed in 1820 by Rani Bimola Devi, the mother of Maharaja Shashikantha Acharya Choudhary, the Zamindar of Muktagachha. The twin temples consist of the Shree Shree Anandamoyi Shiva and Kali Mata Mandir. The Hindu Rabidas community performs a two-day-long Kattyani Puja, locally known as the 'Shat' Puja, in the Bengali month of Kartik. The temple is in dilapidated condition due to a lack of repairs.
On 28 February 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, the vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami to death for war crimes committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Following the sentence, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir attacked Hindus in different parts of the country. Hindu properties were looted, Hindu houses were burnt into ashes and Hindu temples were desecrated and set on fire. While the government has held the Jamaat-e-Islami responsible for the attacks on minorities, the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership has denied any involvement. Minority leaders have protested the attacks and appealed for justice. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has directed law enforcement to start suo motu investigation into the attacks. The US Ambassador to Bangladesh expressed concern about attacks by Jamaat on the Bengali Hindu community.
On 5 January 2014, the 10th general elections were held in Bangladesh. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami had already boycotted the elections. The buildup to the elections were marred by successive strikes and violence by the opposition parties. Victims claimed after the polls, workers and supporters of the opposition parties began attacking the minority Bengali Hindus. Accusing of looting, vandalising and setting the Hindu houses on fire in several districts across the country. Seven persons belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party were arrested in connection with the attacks. The National Human Rights Commission held the government responsible for the attacks on Hindus after the election. In India, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the attacks on minorities.
Muhammad Reazuddin Ahmed, popularly known by his nick name Bhola Mia, was a Bangladeshi politician, lawyer and minister. He was a member of parliament for the then Rangpur-13, then Rangpur-15 and Lalmonirhat-3 constituencies. He was the deputy speaker of the 4th parliament of Bangladesh.
Mankar is a village in Galsi I CD Block in Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Sindur Khela, literally meaning 'vermillion game', is a Bengali Hindu tradition where women smear each other with sindur on Vijayadashami, the last day of the Durga Puja. On the day of the Vijayadashami after the conclusion of the ritual worship, married Bengali Hindu women apply sindur on the forehead and feet of the goddess and offer sweets to her. Then they put sindur on each other's faces and offer sweets to each other.
From 13 to 19 October 2021, Muslim mobs instigated communal violence against Hindu communities across Bangladesh during the Durga Puja festival, in response to a viral video where Quran was kept under a temple idol's feet. More than 50 temples and makeshift worship arrangements were vandalised all over Bangladesh.
The Mallick Bari is an erstwhile Zamindari palace or rajbari located in the district of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India. At present, the rajbari is one of Midnapore's most prominent heritage sites. Constructions commenced under Midnapore's then Zamindar Janmenjay Mallick, several hundred years ago.
Following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, alleged attacks began on some of the homes, businesses, and places of worship of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. According to analysts, most of these attacks were not communal but a mix of political retributions or general criminal offences amid a law and order crisis in the country. The Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported that from August 4 to August 20, a total of 2,010 incidents of attacks on minorities took place across the country within this 16-day period. Among the incidents, homes of 157 families were attacked, looted, vandalised and set on fire while some of their businesses were also attacked, looted and vandalised. 5 Hindus were killed in these attacks, of which at least 2 were confirmed as Awami League members. Meanwhile, Indian media as well as India-based social media accounts began to disseminate disinformation and propaganda on the attacks; BBC Verify both confirmed some attacks hurt minorities and found that majority claims about the violence were unverified, exaggerated, or misleadingly framed. Fact checkers highlighted the situation's complexity and the difficulties in accurately assessing causes of violence.
