The banks of the Bakkhali River in Ramu upazila of Cox's Bazar have been prepared for the traditional "Kolpo Jahaj" floating festival, a centuries-old religious and cultural event.
The festival is set to begin at 2pm today (26 October), marking the concluding day of Prabarana Purnima, one of the major religious festivals of the Buddhist community.
Following a day of colourful festivities, the elaborately decorated ships, also known as "Swarga Jahaj" or "ships of heaven", will be floated on the river in the evening, bringing the celebration to an end.
Organisers expect more than 10,000 people to gather along both banks of the Bakkhali River to take part in the event, which has long been regarded as a celebration of religious and social harmony.
Liton Barua, an organiser of Buddhist Social Movement Bangladesh, told The Business Standard that the overall event is being organised and managed by the local Central Ship Floating Festival Celebration Council.
"Each village, however, builds its own ship according to its own plan and with its own labour and funding. Buddhist Social Movement Bangladesh has provided logistical, financial and technical support to the participating villages," he said.
He added that the organisation had also provided artists and artisans with guidance and support to incorporate Buddhist heritage and special artworks depicting the 29 September attack on Buddhist temples in Ramu into the ships' designs.
Ahead of the festival, artisans and young people from seven Buddhist villages in Ramu have spent around a month building seven large and intricately decorated ships.
The participating villages are Srikul, Dwip Srikul, Hightupi, Purba Rajarkul, Hazarikul, Uttar Mithachhari and Paschim Merongloa.
To keep each structure afloat, five to seven wooden boats are first joined together to form a sturdy raft or platform. The large ships are then carefully installed on the platform and decorated with bamboo, wood, cane and colourful paper.
Each ship features elements of Buddhist religious heritage as well as various mythological figures and designs, including Buddhist monasteries, religious stupas or jadis, a representation of Emperor Ashoka, dragons, peacocks, lions, deer, eagles, winged horses and elephants.
The history of the Kolpo Jahaj festival in Ramu dates back around 200 years.
The tradition is believed to have been initiated by Sangharaj Mrazongbran Bhante on the Murhanga River in what was then Burma, now Myanmar. The practice later developed in Ramu more than a century ago through the longstanding social and cultural ties between the Rakhine community of Myanmar and Buddhist communities in Cox's Bazar and Ramu.
Buddhists believe that when the illuminated "ships of heaven" drift out of sight along the river, they carry devotees' lamps and offerings of reverence towards heaven.
Blending religious solemnity with cultural tradition, the Kolpo Jahaj festival has over the years become a symbol of communal harmony in Ramu.