Online Desk: The Buddhists today celebrated their second largest religious festival Prabarana Purnima in the city as elsewhere across the country with due solemnity and traditional enthusiasm.

The festival is also known as Ashwini Purnima that marks conclusion of the three-month long seclusion of the monks inside their monasteries for self-edification and atonement of their defilement.

The Purnima follows a month-long preaching of sermons by the Buddhist monks for the welfare of every being and the whole humankind through a month-long yellow robes offering ceremony that begins from tomorrow (day after the Purnima).

According to the legend, Buddha once clipped some strands of hair from his head and said that if he was qualified to attain supreme wisdom and enlightenment, the hairs would not fall down but go up instead, in the long run which they did.

To mark this event, the Buddhists released candle-lit air balloons made of coloured paper (fanush) and set free to flow towards the autumnal sky in the evening which is the chief attraction of the festival.

The Purnima was celebrated in all monasteries, respective offices of the religious organizations and educational institutions through daylong programmes.

The programmes have started with the hoisting of the national and religious flags atop all monasteries at dawn and chanting of the sacred verses from the sacred Tripitaka.

Breaking of fasting of the monks, mass prayers, blood donation, Sangadana, discussions, panchashila, asthashila and pradip puja were highlighted the programmes.

In the capital, the main religious congregations were held at Dharmarajik Bouddha Bihar, Kamalapur, International Buddhist Monastery at Merul Badda, Kalachandpur Bouddha Bihar, Uttara Bouddha Bihar, Adibashi Bouddha Temple at Mirpur and Ashulia Bodhigyan Maithree Bhabona Kendra.

Marking the day, a discussion was held at the International Buddhist Monastery at Merul Badda this evening.

In Chittagong, the religious congregations were held at different temples, including Nandankanan Buddhist Temple, Katalganj Nabapandit Bihar, Shakkymuni Mohasashan Bouddha Bihar at Agrabad, Purnachar International Buddhists Monastery at Debpahar and Sarbajanin Bouddha Bihar at Momin Road.

Special prayers were also held in all monasteries seeking peace and prosperity of the nation as well as global peace.

Members of the law enforcement agencies have been deployed in and around all temples in the city and districts for smooth celebration of the festival.