Bhairaba, the Roaring Guardian: Folk Belief and Tribal Worship in Bengal
Author - Biswarup Chatterjee.
The sculpture represented by the above mentioned plate is known as God Bhairaba. He is also worshipped as a protector of villages in few parts of Bengal. The appearance of this God is very much fearful and always surrounded by his associates and some sculpture of elephants and horses. Actually, this deity is known as an unscriptural and aboriginal deity. The sculpture is quite similar with some folk deity of Buedwan and Howra district in West Bengal along with the southern part of the country, such as, Babathakur or Pancananda, Tirubayaba etc. the God is probably worshipped by the tribes, mainly santal and also have a similarity with ‘Bābā deo’, the deities of the Vhil tribe. Though he is an unscriptural deity, in spite of that he is glorified in various local literature composed by local poet, which was prevalent in the local area, such as, ‘ Bairaba rankini mahatya’ of poet Dvija Amarendra, moreover few supernatural tale are also attached with the deity as oral literature.
“bhūmir bhitar thāki kare bhῑma raba Yāra nāme bhūmikampa seita bhairaba | Ṥrῑ Bhairaba sārā dena guḍa guḍa raba Pargaṇār bhūmi jala kepe othe saba ” “bhūgarbher biṣavaṣpa kari ākarṣaṇa | nitya byoma dehe bābā karen dhāraṇa ||”
‘Grave demented voice underneath the earth shows his presence. His firm footing and roar have shaken the land’. Normally the deity is worshipped with the association of the forest God like Baram, kudra, sini etc, in the inaccessible forest area.
Mostly the scorched earthen tiger, elephant and horse are worshipped as symbols of this deity. The complete sculpture is very rare. He is also known as the God of thicket.
In conclusion, the deity Bhairaba stands as a powerful symbol of indigenous and unscriptural belief systems rooted deeply in the folk traditions of Bengal and its tribal communities. Despite lacking formal scriptural validation, his worship thrives through oral traditions, local poetry, and regional customs, reflecting the spiritual imagination of marginalized societies. With his fierce iconography and forest associations, Bhairaba embodies the awe of nature’s raw force and the mystical bond between the tribal communities and their environment. As both protector and feared presence, he represents a living testimony to the syncretic and diverse religious landscape of rural and forested Bengal, preserving a cultural memory that continues to resonate through local worship practices and folklore.
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Reference:
Basu, Gopendrakrishna. Banglar Loukik Devta: Stories of Popular Gods of Bengal. Translated title from Bengali. Published by Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, Dey's Publishing, 13 Bankim Chatterjee Street, Kolkata 700073.
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