Ranchi (Jharkhand): When the whole country was soaked in celebrating the Durga Puja festival with traditional fervour and gaiety, then it was a mourning time for a tribal community in Jharkhand, who draw their lineage to the demon Mahishasur. Some Jharkhand tribal community members have allegiance to the demon Mahishasur clan and they also treat him as their deity.
For them, Mahishasur was the real king, who ruled the earth and he was killed by Goddess Durga. The tribal community belonging to the Mahishasura clan worship him as 'Hudud Durga'. During the 10-day Navratri festival, they mourn the demise of Mahishasur. People of this tribal community in Jharkhand do not perform auspicious rituals during the Navratri and avoid venturing out of their homes.
Read: Female deity worshipped by men–women forbidden in Mangal Chandi temple in Jharkhand
Besides the Gumla, Lohardaga, Palamu and Latehar districts of Jharkhand, a sizeable population in Purulia, Midnapore and some other districts of West Bengal have their affiliation to Asura (demon) clan. People living at Kendashol village in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal and its adjoining areas worship the idol of the demon Mahishasura in the form of 'Hudud Durga'. On the other hand, the tribal community hailing from Jharkhand does not worship Mahishasura during Durga Puja. But during the Diwali festival, they remember their ancestors, including Mahishasura, by making a small mound of clay or mud.
