The Hindu community will celebrate Mahalaya today, marking the advent of Goddess Durga and the beginning of Devi Paksha, the fortnight associated with her arrival.

The Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee has arranged various programmes to mark the occasion at Dhakeshwari National Temple in the capital.

Rituals will begin at 7:30am with til-tarpan, an offering for the eternal peace of departed ancestors, followed by the installation of the Mahalaya ghat and special prayers at 9am on the temple premises, he said.

Ramna Kali Mandir will also organise a large-scale Mahalaya celebration at dawn. Similar programmes will be held at temples in the capital and elsewhere in the country.

Television channels will air special programmes, while newspapers will publish special content to mark the occasion.

Mahalaya is observed seven days before Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangalee Hindu community.

This year, Durga Puja will begin on 16 October with Maha Shashthi rituals and conclude with Bijoya Dashami on 21 October. Goddess Durga will arrive on a horse and depart by boat this year.

The festival will be celebrated at 33,851 mandaps across the country, around 1,500 more than last year, according to the home ministry.