Photo: BSS

SATKHIRA, Sept 1, 2026 (BSS) - A Durga idol made with around 150,000 matchsticks and more than 10 kilograms of silk thread has emerged as a special attraction ahead of the Hindu community's biggest religious festival "Durga Puja" in Satkhira.

The idol has been prepared at Sri Sri Durga Puja Mandap in Brahmarajpur under Sadar upazila, drawing the attention of visitors with its intricate craftsmanship and unconventional design.

Unlike traditional idols made with clay, straw and bamboo, the idol this year is being decorated with matchsticks and silk thread to give it a distinctive appearance. The organisers said that this is the first such initiative in Bangladesh to make a Durga idol using matchsticks and silk thread.

Four artisans have been working for more than a month, carefully placing matchsticks in different patterns across the clay idol and adding intricate designs with colourful silk and jute threads.

Idol maker Nabadwip Sarkar said they were making the idol at Brahmarajpur near Dhulihar Bazar using matchsticks and silk thread.

He said they had received training in India and were making such an idol with matchsticks and silk thread for the first time in Bangladesh.

"It has taken us more than a month of hard work to complete the idol. Around 150,000 matchsticks and more than 10 kilograms of silk thread have been used," he said.

The unique idol has already attracted visitors, many of whom are coming to the temple premises to see the work and taking photographs and videos on their mobile phones.

Amit Ghosh, assistant cashier of the Brahmarajpur Puja Celebration Committee, said the committee had attracted devotees and visitors last year by making an idol with sugarcane and paddy.

"This year, we have chosen a different concept and are making the idol with matchsticks and silk thread," he said.

He, however, said some people might be concerned about the risk of fire as matchsticks are combustible.

"To remove that concern, a special chemical has been used on the matchsticks, so there is no possibility of the idol catching fire," he added.

Joint general secretary of the Brahmarajpur Puja Celebration Committee Pritam Ghosh said the unique idol would be opened to visitors before the commencement of the Shashthi puja.

He said the artisans would be paid Taka 130,000 for making the idol, while the total expenditure for this year's puja has been estimated at around Taka 500,000.

The organisers expect the unusual initiative to attract a larger number of devotees and visitors from Satkhira and other parts of the country during the festival.

Visitor Sanchita Ghosh said the Brahmarajpur Durga Temple had introduced a unique idol every year.

"This idol is very beautiful. It is being made with matchsticks and silk thread, which has never been done in Bangladesh before. This is the first such initiative, and it has already attracted visitors," she said.

According to Biswanath Ghosh, general secretary of the Satkhira district unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, Durga Puja will be celebrated at more than 500 mandaps across the district this year.

"Satkhira's clay artisans are now busy making idols ahead of the festival. The unique idol being made with matchsticks and silk thread at Brahmarajpur will surely attract devotees," he said.

He added that CCTV cameras and adequate numbers of volunteers would be deployed at every puja mandap in the district to prevent any untoward incident.

He also sought government cooperation to ensure peaceful and uninterrupted celebration of Durga Puja by the Hindu community in Satkhira and across Bangladesh.