#KnowOurLand Bonbibi (n. "lady of the forest") - The guardian spirit of the mangrove forests of Sundarbans spread across the southern extremity of West Bengal and Bangladesh (1/4) 
She is worshipped & venerated by all residents of the region - both Hindus and Muslims. They believe Bonbibi's blessings protect them from the wrath of Dakkhin Rai, the cruel overlord of the forests who takes a tiger form to claim victims (2/4)
Fishermen, woodcutters, honey collectors etc. all perform the worship of Bonbibi before entering the forest. She is usually worshipped along with her brother Shah Jangali and "Dukhe", the young boy whose life she saved from the demon Dakkhin Rai (3/4)
The residents of the Sunderbans delta also organize "Bonbibi'r Palagan" (musical play on Bonbibi saga) where the events of Bonbibi's saving of Dukhe is enacted. This ritual has survived orally or through handwritten scripts through the years (4/4)
Images courtesy: Wiki users V Malik, Pinakpani Biswas, Sayamindu Dasgupta, Shikha Sharma of Youth Ki Awaaz & gaonconnection.com)
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