Assam: Since its beginnings, the centuries-old Purani Tangla Habigaon Sarvajanik Durga-Shiva Mandir (temple) on the outskirts of Tangla town in Udalguri has followed the age-old custom of sacrificing animals.
Sacrifice during Maha Asthami in Assam
The temple continued the ritual of sacrificing several goats and two water buffaloes on Maha Asthami of Durga Puja on Wednesday.
Hundreds of devotees and visitors visit the mandir grounds every year on Maha Ashtami to see the 500-year-old temple’s animal sacrifice rite.
Devotion
Two water buffaloes, hundreds of goats, and a great number of pigeons and ducks were brought for sacrifice before Goddess Durga by devotees from all over the state, demonstrating the believers’ passion and devotion.
“People, irrespective of caste, community visit the mandir every year. Devotees have come from far-flung places like Tezpur, Bajali, and Guwahati this year,” the president of Purani Tangla Habigaon Sarvajanik Durga Utsav Committee, Dilip Boro said.
“Our family has been offering goats to the temple for the past two decades and this year we have offered a water buffalo as offering to Goddess Durga,” said a devotee, Jogendra Saikia, an inhabitant of Tangla town of Udalguri district.
