ধর্মীয় সমন্বয়বাদ ও বাস্তু-সংস্কৃতি : আঠারো ভাটির বনবিবি উপাসনায় পরিবেশ ভাবনা/ Religious Syncretism and Folk Eco-Culture: Environmental Consciousness in the Worship of Bonbibi of the Eighteen Tide

Abstract

The word ‘Sundar Ban’ means ‘a beautiful jungle’ in Bengali. Perhaps, the name comes from Sundari trees (Heritiera fomes) present all over the forest. A stunning landscape with narrow creeks and a dense green canopy, this is the largest mangrove belt in the world. The population of the Sundarbans consisted entirely of marginalized people. ‘Nearly all the inhabitants’ of the Sundarbans were ‘either Hindus or Muslims’ according to Hunter. ‘There were, of course, a few Magh Buddhists and native Christians who also came up with missionary penetration of Portuguese and later British power. The rest belonged to the Hindu and Muslim communities, mostly of low status.’ All of these castes pursued a mix of occupations, such as ‘cultivation, wood-cutting and fishing’ as means of subsistence. The varied geo - environmental systems in this region of Bengal has had tremendous impact upon human settlement through rationale and existential factors. These factors shaped the economic parameters and social practices, leading to formation of patterns of living in nature and living - with - nature. The interactions between environment and human existence are often reflected in a critical way through their religion also.  

          The cult of Bonbibi is unique to the Sundarbans. She originated as a folk deity and is the most revered divinity for both Hindus and Muslims of Sundarbans. She has emerged as the symbol of the Sundarbans’ own folk deity and is ingrained into the rituals and lives of people in the ‘down’ islands. She is revered as the protector of the forest and every living being in it. Bonbibi is the folk symbol of Mother Nature and promotes cultural and communal harmony between both the Hindus and the Muslims who are both ecologically vulnerable and equally at the mercy of the forest and depend on its resources for sustenance. This inter-faith environmental regulator is common culture shared between both these religious groups. The conflict between Bonbibi and Dakshin Rai is an intregrated part of the cultural fabric of the region. Villagers have kept unflinching faith in Bonbibi for decades and it is one of the oldest folktales to still exist. she is the symbol of hope for the human being; she is a saviour of human life in the forest, she ensures their safe return to their settlement.