BONGAIGAON, Oct 20 - Celebration of �Samrat Asur Hudur Durga� (a legendary King of the Adivasi-Santhals) puja ended yesterday with Vijaya Dashami.
Around 3,000 Adivasi-Santhals of Deosri (Tibitola) along the India-Bhutan border in Chirang district celebrated this puja to remember their King Asur Hudur Durga.
Adivasi-Santhals believe that Goddess Durga killed their King Asur Hudur Durga as �Mahisasura� during this festival, Sahan Hembrom (23), a member of this puja celebration committee, said.
Asur Puja starts on Mahanavami and ends on Vijaya Dashami. The devotees keep the idol of the Asura King under a tree in some isolated place after the puja instead of immersing it in water bodies.
Only in Chirang district of Assam is this Asura King�s puja being performed in sync with Durga Puja since the past 3 years.
In Bengal last year, this puja was celebrated in 334 places. This year too the same puja was celebrated at 700 places in Bengal, Sahan informed.
�We just remember the King and simply offer floral tribute to his idol and seek the blessings from our traditional deities � Majhi Than, Jaher Than and Kudam Nayeke,� Sahan said.
