Suri, Sept. 30: A century-and-a-half-old Durga Puja that was shifted to Suri, Birbhum, from Bangladesh 58 years ago made another transition this autumn. From clay to metal.

The Basak family got an idol made of eight metals - ashtadhatu in Bengali - this year by spending Rs 2 lakh to spare themselves the trouble of the logistics involved in immersion.

The Basak family puja is famous in Suri town and known as one of the oldest Durga Pujas. But family member Manoj Kanti Basak had said earlier this week: "Every year it is becoming hard to arrange people who would shift the idol to a truck to immerse it in the local pond. Apart from arranging people, a truck has to be hired, the idol has to be taken care of and routes followed according to police guidelines. So, we changed the idol to metal."

The transition to metal reduced the height of the idol to 3ft, but that would not have any impact on the festivities, he had said.

Family members said the forefathers of the Basak family had started the puja at least 150 years ago in Dhamrai village near Dhaka.

Fifty-eight years ago, the family shifted from Bangladesh to Suri, led by the then head of the family Jamini Kanta Basak.

Mandira Basak Ganguly, granddaughter of Jamini Kanta, said: "The concrete temple was made just like it was in Bangladesh and the structure of the idol was followed. We never thought of changing the idol earlier. But last year we faced a lot of trouble during immersion. Now my younger brother and I carry out the puja process. It is very hard to arrange for vehicles, hire people and immerse the idol every year. So, this year we made a metal idol."

The Basaks were weavers by profession in Bangladesh but after they shifted to Suri they started a business in gold ornaments.

"Every year our relatives used to come to attend the puja from Bangladesh till 2015. We are not happy with the changes but the situation forced us to do it," Mandira, who manages the puja, said.