Amidst the revelries of the Magh Bihu festival which was recently celebrated in Assam, another quiet but significant festival known as Tusu Puja was celebrated in the city as well as the entire state.
This festival is primarily celebrated by the indigenous tribal communities of the state - the tea tribes as they worship the folk goddess Tusu. Some of the main tea tribes of Assam include Kharia, Bhumij, Gonju, Chawra, Munda, Chawtal, and Kol which constitute around 17 percent of the total population of the state.
Celebrated at the time of harvest, the Tusu puja is also observed by the tribal population of states like Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
Month-long preparations usually precede the puja during Pausha (December-January) month. The festival starts on the Uruka day and ends on Makar Sankranti.
Futher, similar to Bhogali Bihu, pithas, ladoos and other items are prepared in households and friends and relatives are invited to celebrate; specifically, Til pitha and til (black sesame seed) are considered significant during Tusu puja. In some places the festival is also known as Til Sankranti.
The folk legend behind the puja
If folk legend behind the festival is to be believed, Tusu or Rukmini was the daughter of Gujarat’s Kurmi king but he was chased and forced to run away by the Mughal ruler and take shelter in Punjab under the King Birbal. It was then that Tusu and Birbal’s son Sitaram fell in love with each other.
However, the Mughal ruler was against their relationship and created a hindrance. After this, the Kurmi king from Gujarat was again forced to flee. Following this, he met Chawtals and Bhumijs.
Eventually, Rukmini and Sitaram got married with the help of the king of Bhumij. However, Sitaram passed away soon after getting married and Tusu also killed herself by jumping into the funeral pyre of her husband.
Following this incident, the Kurmis, Chawtals and Bhumijs began worshipping Tusu as a symbol of love and sacrifice which is how the festival is celebrated as till date as well.
In the tribal culture, Tusu’s valour and sacrifice is equated with that of Sita and Savitri’s courage.
In the modern times, the Tusu puja is celebrated with a lot of religious and festive fervour. As part of the celebrations, idols and sculptures of Goddess Tusu are made and decorated with flowers and mud.
The idol of Goddess Tusu is then installed at a common place of worship where the locals offer their prayers throughout the day. The idol is then immersed in water the next day.
At some places, young boys and girls take the sculpture of Tusu from house to house singing songs narrating the folklore of Tusu. Further, gathering together and dancing on the beats of traditional instruments by the members of the community, also forms an integral part of the festival.
Then the idol is taken to the river and before the immersion jhumur dance takes place. The idol is then immersed in the river bed at the end of ceremonies. There is also a custom in which many devotees formulate a friendship bond keeping the river as a witness.
According to experts, earlier the festival was celebrated for the entire month of Poush. However, with the changes in tradition, the festivities have been reduced to a few days during the Tusu Puja.