New Delhi, Aug 7 (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 had attacked the village and killed everyone who was present there.

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

However, it is believed that a few people tried to celebrate the festival but some untoward incident happened and ever since it was seen as a curse and the festival has not been celebrated here.

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 (lineage) returned to the village and resettled there.

The village following the resettlement was given the new name 'Surana' -- twisted form of Sohrana (100 Ranas).

According to Mahavir Singh Yadav, a local resident, in 1206, on the day of Raksha Bandhan, Mohammad Ghori had attacked the village, and destroyed it completely. However, at the time of invasion, Jaskaur, a woman from the village, had gone to her maternal house. She was pregnant, and later she gave birth to two children -- Lucky and Chunda. Both the children after growing up returned to the village and got resettled there.

They were accompanied by 100 Kshatriya Ahir Ranas of Chhabria Gotra.

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.

Another resident, Chhabria Rahul Surana told IANS that no person of the Gotra celebrates the festival of Raksha Bandhan. "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 Chauhan was held captive by Ghori, he received information that the descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan live in Sohangadh and decided to attack Sohangadh on the day of Raksha Bandhan... In the attack women, children, old aged people, and youth -- everyone was crushed to death under the feet of elephants by Ghori's army."

As per the residents' belief, Ghori attacked this village many times. But every time his army went "blind" while entering the village as "there deity used to protect the village. On the day of Raksha Bandhan, the deity went for a bath in the Ganga river and Ghori successfully invaded the village".

Renu Yadav, the head of the village, says that, "It is an old tradition here that Raksha Bandhan is not celebrated. The total population of Chhabria Gotra is about 8,000 who do not celebrate this Raksha Bandhan. However, people from other lineages, who came from outside, celebrate the festival."