Saved from leopards by the tiger

On three sides of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) are some of Mumbai's most rapidly-urbanised suburbs but within its forests are hamlets that continue an ancient practice that despite being rooted in pre-modern times may be playing a role in maintaining a balance between urban expansion and ecological conservation.

Members of the Warli and Malhar Koli tribes who live in the forests within SNGP continue the tradition of tiger worship, which has its own rituals and shrines. Locals say that the Waghoba shrines in the area, the practise has been going on for “hundreds of years, may be even more”.

A group of researchers studying Sanjay Gandhi National Park recently discovered this practice and have begun documenting it as part of their research. There are plans to release a report on the same. According to their as yet unpublished research, at least six hamlets in SGNP and its surrounding areas have Waghoba shrines. This is the first official study to record the existence of this ancient practice in Mumbai in recent times.

The Warli tribe is known for worshipping its own pantheon, which includes deities like Hirva, the peacock god of the household and Narayandev, the supreme among the divine.

Gaondevi is the local village deity. Waghoba, who is one of the more important gods, is depicted as a tiger and is the protector of cattle.

This reporter visited the hamlets in SGNP where Waghoba worship has a committed following. Keltipada is one of them and here, the shrines for the local deities are simple and instead of conventional idols, stones signifying the different gods are worshipped. Thus, the larger stone represents the Gaondevi and a smaller one is Waghoba. However, locals say that the shrines have been in use for generations. In Chinchpada and Rajnipada, two other villages inside SGNP, beautifully-carved idols can be seen in the temples. In Chinchpada, there are stone idols that are believed to be ancient and Rajnipada has wooden idols that are comparatively newer but well-worshipped. Another temple, larger than the others, is in Aarey Milk colony and has a painting of a tiger that is regularly garlanded and continues to be worshipped.

Manik Sapte lives in Navapada, a hamlet of less than 100 homes in the SGNP, and is a “god-man”. Apart from conducting private religious ceremonies, Sapte also looks after the temple located not far from the lion and tiger safari zones of the park. According to him, prayers are held every Tuesday at the Waghoba temple that he looks after. “More important is the yearly ritual that happens in the second week of January when we sacrifice chicken and goats to appease the gods,” said Sapte. “Chicken for the Gaondevi and Jarimari devi (another local deity), and goat for the tiger god. This practise was taken up more earnestly after 2004-2005,” explained Sapte. Between the years of 2001 and 2005, there as an increase in the number of leopard attacks, which since then have reduced.
In the Waghoba shrine in Keltipada, a tribal hamlet of about 85 homes in Aarey Colony, the practice has a longer history according to locals. The temples here are visited by devotees from Keltipada as well as two nearby hamlets, Damupada and Chapyachapada. Keltipada-resident Ankush Bhoir's home is near the shrine. “During Diwali and Holi celebrations, we worship our five gods: Hirva, Himay, Narayandev, Gaondevi and Waghaya,” said Bhoir, who belongs to the Malhar Koli community. “Whenever there is any auspicious occasion, family members gather around the temple with incense sticks, coconut and garlands and worship the god. This is an ancient practice which has been going on since the time of our forefathers,” he said.

Anthropologist Sunetro Ghosal, who is one of the researchers working in SGNP, “Animism does not equate with idol worship. In this case, the institution of Waghoba is more important than the physical symbolism through an idol. For instance, you could have an idol dedicated to a tiger, but have no other thoughts or beliefs that encourage tolerance.”

However, ecologist Vidya Athreya, who has been working on leopard-human conflict, thinks otherwise. “I first ran into a Waghoba shrine in August 2011 when we were searching for appropriate spots to place camera traps for the project,” she said.

“I had found similar temples during my work in [Maharashtra's] Ahmednagar district. Later, Zeeshan Mirza and Sunetro found the rest of them. These are important cultural symbols which help in conservation as they increase tolerance and understanding about the issue.”