Dhaka, Oct. 21 -- As the sounds of blowing of conch shells, ululation, the beat of Dhaks and the fragrance of incense fill the air, Hindu devotees paid tribute to Goddess Durga, the "destroyer of evil". And yet there was a melancholy mood in the air as they prepared to bid her adieu on the morning of Dashami.

On Bijoya Dashami on Wednesday, married women at puja venues across the capital formally bade farewell to the goddess by touching Sindoor, or vermilion, to her feet, offering Anjali (a ritual to offer devotion to the divine power) and taking part in the traditional Sindoor Khela.

The Dashami rituals and Darpan Bisarjan, or symbolic immersion through a mirror, mark the conclusion of the rites for the goddess's farewell. Devotees beg...