Bengal has a close association with tigers, especially the ‘Royal Bengal Tiger’ (Panthera Tigris), which is native to the region … as a living legend and a cultural icon.
The British colonizers of the 18th/19th centuries found tigers roaming the wilds in the ‘Bengal’ Presidency and added the prefix ‘Royal’ inspired by their majestic appearance. So, the Royal Bengal Tiger gets its name from a combination of geographical association and colonial history. Moreover, tigers were prized trophies for British royalty and colonial hunters. In pre-colonial India, the tiger reigned supreme in the dense mangrove forests of the Sundarbans delta, formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. They were feared as man-eaters and revered as deities, and became a part of local culture, folklore and belief systems. Indeed, for the people of Bengal, Banglar Bagh (the Bengal Tiger) indicates much more than the animal itself; it represents the spirit and grandeur of Bengal.
In the dense mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, the tiger is both feared as a man-eater and revered as a deity, by the people who depend on the forest for survival. Legends such as those of ‘Dakkhin Rai’, the Tiger-King, and ‘Bonbibi’, the forest Goddess, illustrate the delicate balance of man and environment: human beings must respect the forest and its spirit to live safely amid the dangers. Within the Sundarbans, lie the moss-covered stone structures at Netidhopani, often associated with the legend of ‘Behula-Lakhindar’, which fishermen claim are the ruins of a village that was ‘swallowed’ by river tides when a tiger-god exacted vengeance. The eerie tale of Netidhopani warns against greed, portraying a ghostly tiger that punishes those who exploit the forest’s resources excessively. Such stories highlight the tiger’s role as a guardian of nature, urging environmental respect and humility.
Although the tiger population here numbers around 100-130, sightings are rare due to the dense mangrove habitat. In contrast, Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, home to 70-75 tigers, offers more frequent encounters. Bandhavgarh itself is steeped in history and mythology. Last week, during the Easter holidays, I had the chance to visit Bandhavgarh and tick off ‘to see a wild tiger roaming in its habitat’ off my bucket list.
As per local legend, the name ‘Bandhavgarh’ translates to ‘Brother’s Fort’ … in Hindi ‘Bandhav’ (brother) and ‘Garh’ (Fort). It is believed that Sri Ramchandra had gifted a fort in this region to his brother, Lakshman. Another legend modifies this tale and says, Sri Ramchandra stopped in this region while returning to Ajodhya after defeating Ravan in Lanka. The ancient fort stands in the middle of the dense forest and local people still worship Lakshman in a temple within the fort. As per ‘India Naturally’ the Bandhavgarh fort has Brahmi inscriptions dating back to the 1st century BC. In a cave named ‘Bagdhalak’ there are stone-inscriptions of stripe patterns and pugmarks indicating that the Royal Bengal Tiger has been walking on this land since time immemorial. Though there are no records to confirm who built the fort and when … the history of the fort can be traced back to Bhimseni Satvat (one of the early possessors of the fort who lived around 300 AD). The fort is accessible only on Janmashtami to celebrate its 2,000-year history. Bandhavgarh is a place where history, mythology and wildlife intertwine to create a landscape … just as in the Sundarbans.
Despite the geographical distance, DNA studies by scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, show that the tigers in the Sundarbans are genetically similar to the tiger population of Central India, including Bandhavgarh. Genetic studies suggest that the tigers of the Sundarbans and Bandhavgarh share common ancestors, and were separated centuries ago by human activity. Though tigers remain a cultural icon in India, intertwined with art, culture, folklore and even the Indian national identity … yet, they are classified as an endangered species. It is a sad reality that human beings are largely responsible for driving tigers toward extinction through habitat loss, poaching for illegal trade and man-animal conflict.
The
survival of the Royal Bengal Tiger is vital, not only for biodiversity but also
for preserving India’s cultural and natural legacy … for as Jim Corbett wrote: “The
Tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage and when he is
exterminated – as exterminated he will be unless public opinion rallies to his
support- India will be the poorer by having lost the finest of her fauna” (Man-Eaters
of Kumaon, 1944).