Shrineswhere bigcatsareworshipped
STUDY FINDS Forests in Mumbai Metropolitan Region have 20 shrines dedicated to tigers and leopards; are made of wood, rocks and mud MUMBAI:
A recent study has documented 20 little known jungle shrines that are dedicated to the big cats in various parts of Mumbai.
Titled Monsters or Gods? narratives of large cat worship in western India — which was published earlier this week in a newsletter of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), describes the belief in Waghoba, representing the tiger or the leopard, which appears to be geographically widespread in western India. In all 33 shrines, made of wood, stones or mud, were identified across Maharashtra and Goa.
The authors said the centuries -old tradition of forest dwellers, who have a different relationship with the big cats, is largely ignored by conservationists.
“The focus today is mostly towards the negative aspects related to human-animal conflicts. However, for many years there exist these age-old cultural facets, which are positive and can help reduce conflicts. There is a need to understand more about this in the context of making such shared places more peaceful,” said Vidya Athreya, wildlife biologist and lead author.
She added, “There are many more shrines that need to be documented in the western region itself through a more detailed ethnographic study.”
In Mumbai, these shrines are Waghoba is derived from Marathi with “Wagh” meaning tiger and “Ba” referring to a common Marathi suffix used to indicate respect. The deity is assigned to both tigers/leopards. Appearances of Waghoba shrines vary and idols are made of wood or rock that are covered with vermillion powder or stones carved out in the shape of a large cat. At some locations, the large cat is also drawn or carved with other features such a cobra, moon and sun
People interviewed for the study described their belief in two ‘types’ of leopards. The first belonged to forests, who seldom cross paths with outsiders in the forest. The other type are those released in the forest and are not affraid of the people.
In Goa, researchers visited nine villages where Waghoba shrines (called Waghro) were present. The priests indicated that the deity is worshipped twice a year with the rituals starting around 8pm (at the time of day when the large cat becomes active). The villagers, largely from Velip community, said the tiger or the leopard often calls during the ritual. spread across areas populated by Warli and Mahadeo communities in and around Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, May 13: In the shortest successful leopard rescue operation in MMR, forest officials rescued a male leopard from MSRPF camp in Aarey Colony, in two hours.
March 18: A 4-year-old leopard accidentally entered a bungalow at Bhatia Chowk in Ulhasnagar while the owner and his family were at homeThe leopard was
(which is home to 41 free-roaming leopards) and Vasai (see box for complete list).
The study said Waghoba is viewed as the Junglacha Rakhanmostly rescued by a team of forest officials and local police in four hours. This was the first time a leopard was spotted within residential limits of Ulhasnagar city.
January 13: A male leopard attacked six residents after straying into a society in Mulund (East). The forest department and police conducted a four-hour-long rescue operation, following which a team
dar [protector of the forest] and worshipped because of fear and respect. For worshippers, the forests are an important resource, providing food and firewood. from SGNP tranquillised the animal and rushed it to the rescue centre.
December 10, 2017: After a female leopard strayed into Sher-e-Punjab housing society in Andheri, a 12-hour rescue operation by forest department, police, NGOs and fire officials ensured the animal was rescued without untoward situation.
They believe that the forest, however, is the realm of the Wagh (tiger or leopard) and appease the deity with sacrificial offerings, so that they do not attack humans Keltipada, Aarey colony Khandyacha pada, Aarey colony
Aarey Milk Colony Malad, near SGNP Nimbuni pada gavthan, Malad
Tulsi Lake, SGNP Trimurthi, near SGNP Chinchpada, near SGNP MAFCO area in Aarey Tumnipada, inside SGNP Chunapada, inside SGNP Wadyacha pada, inside SGNP
Koknipada, Malad (East) Kharbav, Vasai Khadipada Devkundi, Kaman, Vasai
Malodi, Vasai
Jabarpada, Thane district Bavkhal, Dontalao Village, Virar West
Shramjiv, Usgaon, Thane district
Vangani, Thane district
Remaining shrines are spread across – Pune, south Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat
and do not enter the villages.
“More than just ‘fear’, aspect we keep reading about, these shrines are way of give respect to these big cats. It doesn’t mean they (worshipers) are not fearful, but they just know better how to navigate these animals so that conflict is reduced,” said Athreya.
Other researchers who were part of the are Sahil Pimpale, Atul Sinai Borkar, Nikit Surve, Siddant Chakravarty, Mrunal Ghosalkar, Ankur Patwardhan, and John D C Linnel.
The first official survey for Waghoba sites by the team was started in 2013 in Goa. In 2015 and 2016, the team surveyed areas in Maharashtra and Mumbai region.
The global position system (GPS) locations of shrines were recorded and local people were interviewed (150 in all – mostly priests and village elders) to obtain information about the shrine as well as their perceived relationship with the deity.
“Priests claim that at night, the deity comes near the temple, as is evident from pug marks which they find the next day. In order to appease the cats, villagers offer sacrificial offering of meat (chicken or goat) in mid-April and in October,” the study said.
Nikit Surve, another researcher, said, “The emphasis towards this type of interaction between humans and the big cat is very less. It is very important to understand the parallels between conflict and worship related to the same animal. When such information is shared, the perception changes and it makes a huge difference.”