The Bengal Tiger

¤ The Bengal Tiger

Being the largest in the cat family, Bengal Tiger attracts tourists from all over the world. Generally found in White, the skin of these Tigers have black stripes which gives it a royal look. Panthera Tigris is the scientific name of the Tiger. The Bengal tiger or the Panthera Tigris initially originated from Siberia and then slowly migrated down south to the climate which was much colder.


¤ Bengal Tiger and the Mythology

He is the guardian of the jungle, carrier of the Mother Goddess and the creator of Rain. He is capable of controlling drought and can even invoke Indra, the god of Thunder and Rain. He can protect, he can guard, and he can kill if he finds someone breaking the laws of the jungle.

From Siberia to Sumatra, the Bengal tiger is perceived as an icon of strength, speed and agility. He is in fact seen as ‘God’s officer on special duty’, protecting the young, healing the sick, and punishing the culprits. In India tigers are revered to such an extent that in the mid-seventies a movie chalked out an entirely new deity ‘Sheronwali Ma’ – mother goddess that rides tigers.

The movie soon became an obsession with the entire nation, and for months devotees showered the silver screen with coins and other offerings. Another incarnation of the Mother Goddess, Durga, is always depicted as riding a tiger.

Durga came into being as a collective force of all the Gods to fight the evil power of the demon Mahishasur. Possessing joint powers of all the Gods, Durga chose the tiger as her vehicle for reasons most obvious