Mohd Ghori Legacy: UP Village Doesn’t Celebrate Raksha Bandhan

NEW DELHI, (IANS) – People in Surana village of Ghaziabad’s Muradnagar do not celebrate Raksha Bandhan since the 12th century as on the day of the festival Muhammad Ghori attacked the village and killed everyone who was present there.

Even the residents, who are settled outside, do not celebrate the festival.

Surana village was earlier known as Sohangadh.

As per the residents, it is said that a woman from the village survived as she was not present there when Ghori attacked. She later gave birth to two children, who along with 100 Kshatriya Ahir Ranas of Chhabria Gotra returned to the village and resettled there.

The village following the resettlement was given the new name ‘Surana’ — twisted form of Sohrana (100 Ranas).

The total population of the village today is around 22,000, and most of the residents do not celebrate Raksha Bandhan, because they are from Chhabria Gotra, and they consider this day as a bad omen. Even those who came to reside here later have also started following this tradition.

Villagers say Son Singh Rana, a descendant of Prithviraj Chauhan, who came from Rajasthan hundreds of years ago, had camped on the banks of the Hindon river. While Prithviraj was held captive by Ghori, the ruler received information that the descendants of his captive lived in Sohangadh and decided to attack the place… women, children, old, aged people, and youth — everyone was crushed to death under the feet of elephants, they say.