SUNDERBANS – The Beautiful Forest

Sundari Tree because of which it got the name-Sunderbans & Sundernbans creeks

From Gauhati we boarded a plane to go to Sunderban. However to reach Sunderban one has to fly to Kolkatta and there by car, one can reach the destination. The flight from Gauhati was very interesting. We reached Kolkatta at about 12.30 noon. There was a taxi waiting for us at the Airport. We got into the taxi and proceeded to Ghodkali Ferry Ghat in 24 Paraganas of West Bengal. What I had forgotten was that it was the General election day in 24 Paraganas. Everything was closed. The streets were deserted. No movement of vehicles or men. Except at polling center. I could see the banners of two political parties only viz. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinmool Congress and Communist Party. Now and then some banners of National Congress Party. The crowd was found at the polling booth of Mamata Banerjee’s workers only. It was foregone conclusion that the day was hers.
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What I found impossible to comprehend was that there were no restaurants open for catering to the public. All the restaurants were closed and there were some Dabhas like eating houses which I felt was not my cup of tea. Hence we went hungry all the way to Ghodkhali Ferry Ghat. At a distance of about 90 kms from the Kolkatta Airport just before reaching the Ferry Ghat, there was a small restaurant. I cannot say whether the food was good but I ate without a second thought. Mercifully nowadays one can get bottled water everywhere. So we ate some rice with curry. We drank a hot cup of tea.We parked our car and proceeded to the jetty.

At a short distance we parked our car as there was no means for car to cross the river. That is the end point of mainland, I suppose.

We walked upto the ferry and then there was a boat to Gosaba. We got into the boat. It is a regular service boat like the city buses. They are motor boats. We crossed over to Gosaba. I am informed that that is the last inhabited village in the Sunderbans. Getting there is interesting and some may feel it is painful. The only mode of transport that is available is the cycle rikshaw. I did see a few motor rikshaws also. But the ride was, if I may use the word ‘bumpy’. The entire stretch is covered with concrete or burnt bricks. When one sits in that rikshaw, it makes one introspective. With ponds opposite each house, temples and mosques abiding quietly, vast fields of wheat and rice and an avid collection of sheep, goats, dogs etc. One feels when will this country bring out these people from such abject poverty. In front of houses there are ponds and the water therein is green. It smells. There is a small stone in the pond which is used for washing clothes, for bathing etc. I would not like to elaborate. I think drinking water is scarce there as can be seen rikshaws carrying pots full of water from one place to the other. I did not see any accidents taking place. I pitied the rikshaw peddlers. This shows how difficult life is. We thus reached Sunderbans National Park where there was the resort. We checked in the resort. The cottages were good and nice. We took some rest as the journey from Gauhati to Kolkatta and then to Sunderbans was really very tiresome. There was snacks. In the night there was buffet style dinner. The dinner was good. It was said that Sunderbans was a plastic free zone but my experience proved otherwise. Plastic bottled water was freely available there.

Next day early morning we started on a cruise in a motor boat which is almost like a big launch. It has a deck where one sit or lie down and watch the scenries on either sides. The boat wades through the narrow canals of the Sunderbans. It was a lovely cruise.

We had two guides, one boat man and a mechanic and there was a cook also. Food was prepared on the boat only. We were given tea and snacks as the cruise started. and lunch in the afternoon. Now and then they would ask us whether we would like to drink coke or chai or munch anything. Hospitality was very good. Boat cruise boat enters inside one of the biggest mangrove forest with narrow creeks around the islands of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve area for our share of viewing animals like crocodile,

The guide would explain everything as we cruise through Datta River and Malta rivers and their tributaries or canals. At some places, the canals are very wide and in some places they are narrow. Our boat was taken sometimes closer to the shore so that we could see some birds or some animals. There are many monkeys. We were shown a young crocodile basking in the sunshine on the shore. Sometimes before we could spot it, the animal or the bird would fly off. We were shown from a distance some place as core area of tiger sanctuary where no one would be allowed to go. Though it was a sunny day, in the evening it started drizzling. .The major part of the day was spent lounging around on the deck, with not much of care in the world, the most relaxing.

Let me say a few words about Sunderbans which made me to visit it and club it with our North East tour. Sundarbans National Park is marked as the Core area of Sundarban Tiger Reserve in Sundarban Reserve Forest.. Sundarbans Reserve Forest is located in the southern part of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. These are the largest coastal mangrove belt in the world, stretching 80 km (50mi) into the Bangladeshi and Indian hinterland from the coast. The Sundarbans has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The part of the forest within Indian territory is called Sundarbans National Park. The forests aren’t just mangrove swamps. They include some of the big jungles which once covered the Gangetic plain, which we could not see. The Sundarbans cover an area of 3,850 sq km, of which about one-third is covered in water/marsh areas. Since 1966 the Sundarbans have been a wildlife sanctuary, and it is estimated that there are now 400 Royal Bengal tigers and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area.

The forest is called ‘Sunderban’ due to the rich growth of Sundari trees. The area is very famous for honey. It is one of the main source of income of those people and some have that as their main profession. They have to get into the forest to tap honey from the hives. To watch far distance places, there are several watch towers. There are some watch towers which are recommended to be visited to have a good view of the Sunderbhans. They are Sajnekhali Watch Tower, Dobanki Watch Towe, Sudhanyakhali Watch tower, Neti Dhopani Watch Tower, Kumirmari Watch Tower Jhingamari Watch tower Bonnie camp Watch tower Bhagabatpur Crocodile park. We visited two watch towers namely Sajnekhali and Sudhankhali. We saw how tigers are treated when they are hurt or crocodiles are allowed to hatch and then how they rear them and leave them into the sea.
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It is said that Sundarbans is the only place in the world where Tigers still actively hunt humans for food and I am given to understand that usually between 50 to 80 locals are mauled or killed per year. The said beasts are called Royal Bengal Tigers because of its majestic appearance. They are the theme of several stories and research papers and fictions. Since they are the extremely dangerous animals, tourists are not allowed to go to this core area. Even if one persuades the boat man, he would not take the boat to that area. So it is futile exercise if one tries to locate tigers. The Government has taken great care so that these man eating beasts should not come near the tourists. They have fenced the shores of the area where they inhabit. The tigers usually wait for the prey to come to them as they know that the poor fishermen to hunt for crabs would cross into their territory. After we visited Sunderbans, a news item appeared in the national newspapers as to how a tiger killed a fisherman while rowing in his boat for the crabs when he strayed into the prohibited area. He became a victim of the tiger. We were told by our guide that sometime these tigers swim the canals and creeks and come to the village to take away goats fowl etc. The Sunderbhans tigers are known for their swimming prowess. The tigers are a bit short in stature but are “blood thirsty”.

We visited two towers. The first one was Sainekhali Watch Tower. The Forest Department has its office in the same compound where Sajnekhali Watch tower is situated. Permission to enter the Sundarban Tiger Reserve is required to be obtained from here..There is also a Mangrove Interpretation Centre, a Bono Bibi Temple as well as a Crocodile Park in the Sajnekhali watchtower complex. The West Bengal Tourism Department Corporation’s Tourist lodge is also situated at Sajnekhali. I think visiting that complex is really necessary as it gives an overall picture of things to be seen in Sunderbans. The Forest Officer, whose name I have forgotten now, gave a very good graphic description of that area. It was he who showed the Sundari tree kept for public view there. There was pond which is maintained for treating the wounded tigers.. The crocodile farm had some crocodiles. The guesthouse is mainly meant for Government officials who come there in large numbers.

We at the end of our cruise at about 4 p.m. went to see the Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower. It is said that it is from that tower from where most of the tigers can be spotted. 5-river junction Faces the tower. It is also the point where Bengal Gulf can be seen. In addition, tourists can also spot wildlife like axis deer and crocodiles from this tower. We saw some deer and monkeys.

Of course our guide was pointing at some birds and the distance was so much one could not have a clear view of them. I think Elke clicked several photographs. We had tea there on the tower. We rested there for about an hour and then started our journey back. One cannot say that it was a return journey as the entire tour was a round trip. We had a guest with us in the boat who was a guide but had no work that day. He told several interesting stories of tigers etc..

Before we embarked on the launch, we saw a temple and the guide explained to us the significance of that temple. The temple has the deity of Bonbibi or Maa Bonbibi. The inhabitants of Sunderbans pray that god before embarking on for their avocation of collecting honey. They have to enter the forest and there is every danger of predators attacking them Therefore I learn that they worship this god whose appearance is that of a Hindu goddess but muslms believe her as a muslim goddess. It is a known fact that Muslims are not idol worshippers but here both Hindus and Muslims worship it by looking it in different forms. There is a story behind it. Bonbibi means a forest deity, She is believed to give them strength and protection against Raja Dakshinrai who is considered as Tiger god.

She is the only Hindu Goddess the origin of which is not in India. Her story begins in the second holiest city of Islam – Medina. The legend has it that once upon a time there lived a Sufi fakir, Ibrahim. The Archangel Gabriel spoke to him and Ibrahim thus (being helplessly childless) got a promise that he would have children. Two children at once were born to him – Bon Bibi (daughter) and her brother Shah Jongoli. When they got older, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to them as he had appeared to their father and said that they had been chosen for a divine mission. Gabriel said that they should leave their homeland and come to India. They obeyed and started their journey as Sufi traders. But in the land that Gabriel had chosen for their divine mission they met a very evil demon – Dokkhin Rai. This demon had a passion for human flesh. But BonBibi, along with her brother, quickly overpowered him. They did not kill the demon, but urged him to promise that he would avoid devouring human flesh. Bon Bibi also divided the Sunderban jungle and drew up the boundaries of places where people should live. She left the other parts of the jungle for the demon. Because of her origin, she is a muslim but as she brought about peace in the land, she is worshipped both by the Hindus and Muslims. Hindus consider as Ma Kaali or Durga and Muslims as Bonbibi. When Muslims pray they say “Maa Bonbibi Allah, Allah” and hindus say effortlessly “Maa Bonodevi Durga, Durga” They pray together. This is an example for religious unity. I am told the festival of Bonbibi is celebrated both the communities together. Their practice require publicity so that we in India can establish religious harmony for co existence.. From there we returned to our resort. We saw the sun set which is one of the scenes recommended to be seen. After that we returned to our resort. We did not see tigers. It did not disappoint us as we knew that they never come out of the core area during daytime and we are not allowed to go into the core area.


After reaching the resort we took some rest and then had very tasty dinner. Next day early morning we started our journey back to Kolkatta to catch the plane which was to take us back to Bangalore and by evening to Mangalore.