Bonbibi Goddess of Sundarban Forest Dwellers
Bonbibi Goddess is worshiped by the forest dwellers of Sundarbans National Park of West Bengal for protection from the man eating tigers. There are several spine chilling stories of how the Sundarbans tiger has dragged away humans. Fear gives rise to faith! And faith gives rise to growth of a cult! Something similar has happened in Sundarbans.
This blog post is on Ma Bonbibi and Dakshin Rai, the revered Gods of Sundarbans. [The Sundarbans Mangrove forests was declared National Park in 1984 and inscribed in Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.]
Bonbibi Goddess of Sundarban Forest
Temples of Sundarbans
The little islands of Sundarbans have many temples dedicated to various Gods and Goddesses like Mother Narayani, Kalu Khan, Gazi Saheb whom the locals believe will protect them from man eating tigers of Sunderbans. Most revered of all is Bonbibi, the lady of the forests of Sundarban. She is the guardian spirit there.
Statistics taken state that at least 10 to 20 people fall prey to the man eating tigers in the forests. Bauli (woodcutters), Mouli (honey collectors) and fishermen worship Goddess Bonbibi and Dakshin Rai each day before they set off for work, unsure whether they will return home safe and alive. Both Hindus and Muslims worship these local deities.
Ma Bonbibi, Forest Goddess’s Temple in one of the islands of Sundarbans National Park there. We crossed this as we were cruising through the backwaters.
Ma Bonbibi Temple Sundarban Forest Bengal
Legend of Bonbibi Goddess of Sundarban Forest
Faith in Bonbibi started evolving in 19th century. Around the same time Sufi saints came to the Sundarbans and religious exchanges took place. Bonbibi Johurnama, the mythological stories of Bonbibi, was written during the last two decades of the 19th century.
As Bonbibi cult gained popularity in eastern part of Sundarbans, follower count of Tiger God Dakkhin Rai eroded and got limited to southern part.
According to legend
Bonbibi fought with Narayani, mother of Dakshin Rai to save the forest dwellers. However after winning the battle she returned half of the kingdom to Narayani. Bonbibi ruled the part of Sundarbans which was inhabited by humans, while Narayani ruled over the part ruled by tigers and demons.
Bonbibi’s idol forms vary according to the community worshiping her. The deity takes form of an aristocratic Muslim lady in Muslim dominated areas. I got to see her form as a traditional Hindu goddess.
Dakshin Rai: Tiger God of Sundarbans
Fear for life and hope for survival makes man seek supernatural help from heavens above. In Sundarbans, the forest dwellers started with praying tigers.
Man eating tigers of Sundarbans, which is recognized as king of forests, the very source of fear was worshiped to appease and calm him. With passage of time this Tiger God was given a human form.
One reason attributed to this is that British had brought tribal people from nearby places to clear forests of Sundarbans. As the tribal settled down in their new place in harmony with existing local new forms of praying evolved. The Tiger God got a human form and was addressed as Dakshin Rai – the ruler of the south (dakshin translates to south).
Dakshin Rai is said to be ichha-rupi (taking desired form) demon. He is believed to rule over the demons and beasts that prowl the heavily forested wetlands. He is revered by all irrespective of caste of religion. Interesting to note here that fear for life unites all!
Natives of some tribes bind a mask with the face of Dakshin Rai to the back of their heads. This is done to confuse or scare an approaching tiger and ward off its attack.
You can see such small temples, small Bonbibi shrines, along the edge of the forests of Sundarbans. Whenever the cross the temples on their way to work they seek blessings to escape death from the man eating tigers. One can imagine what kind of fear the forest dwellers live with!
Prayers, Rituals and Festivals
Forest dwellers, especially those venturing out deep into forests for a living, are very spiritually inclined. They conduct prayer meetings, chant verses, sing praises and seek blessings from Ma Bonbibi. Muslims, who don’t believe in idol worship, too pray to Bonbibi before entering forests. Fear conquers all!
Bonbibi-r Upakhyan (story of Bonbibi) is a popular folk performance based on her mythology. Farmers, boatmen, fishermen, honey-gatherers, woodcutters all join together to put up performances, their way of pleasing Ma Bonbibi who would protect them.
Fact File for Sundarbans
Sundarbans National Park is open 7am to 5pm. Nearest city is Kolkata. There are plenty of eco friendly resorts in the small islands of Sunderbans. One has to catch a ferry and get to the resorts. Usually the resort that you choose to stay arranges the to and fro journey.
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Very interesting ! Our tradition of worshiping different gods related to nature is one of main reasons why we still stand a chance for nature conservation !
Thanks for the local colour. Very nice.
wow thnx for sharing nyc info and pics 🙂
thats a nice piece of Information u shared about religious harmony which exists in Sunderbans … Bengal is ideally a place where religion does not divide people .. And I pray rest of India and world learns from Bengal!
Nice post Indrani
The post reminds me of a play based on the theme of Banbibi I had seen in my childhood. The pictures are very beautiful. A good job.
I have gone through a documentary on Sunderbans and it has mentioned about bonbibi.
Very Nice Post..
Read about those killer tigers. Like the pictures.
Very Nice. . .
Had heard about the the man eating tigers. Now I know about their Gods.
It's lovely learning about your country Indrani, thank you!
Great shots and interesting information.
Very interesting story, Sunderbans- some day I want to visit!
Bonbibi is an interesting goddess, and I hope she does give protection against the tigers. I love the flags in your second photo.
It really is fascinating how different cultures choose to worship. Thank you for sharing your part of the world!
Interesting fact about Sundarban forest… Sunderban Forest is especially kept reserve for tigers as Bengal tiger is in endangered species today. We need to save it!!!
lovely!!! i wonder when i will be able to go there!
I had no clue about anything of this nature.. beautiful 🙂
Helo Indrani, I learn so much visiting your blog. Thanks for sharing the story about the Bonbibi. Lovely photos. Have a happy weekend!
Lovely post.. Never heard of Bonbibi.. Thanks for sharing Indrani 🙂
I Love thee quaint stories that u bring us….
Interesting customs, lovely shots!
What lovely treasures you share!
I had never heard of Bonbibi. As you see from my avatar, my dog's name that I use for my blog is Bibi. She's so small, I doubt if she'd be much use against a tiger…or even a cat! 🙂
You share so many treasures, Indrani !
Aloha
I find it interesting to read about all the gods and goddesses around the world. There are so many! How does anyone keep track of them, I wonder. 🙂
Have heard about bon bibi…it's refreshing to see those lovely pictures…