Dakshin Ray ( bn, দক্ষিণ রায়, "King of the South") is a revered deity in the

Sundarbans Sundarbans (pronounced ) is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bangladesh's division of Khulna to the Hooghly R ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

who rules over beasts and demons. He is regarded as the overall ruler of the Sundarbans. The God is worshipped by all those who enter the Sundarban forests of West Bengal, for subsistence, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion.

Narrative

In the

Sealdah South lines Sealdah South section consists of a set of four lines which connect the station in Kolkata with its southern suburbs and with the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India. It is a part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway and is under the ...

, there is the station Dhapdhapi. A few miles away is a Dakshin Rai temple. The residents of the area worship this Tiger God. He once belonged to the area of the Sundarbans. His domain stretches from the south

Namkhana Namkhana is a village and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Namkhana police station in the Namkhana CD block in the Kakdwip subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History When the Tebhag ...

Kakdwip Kakdwip () is a town of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. It is the headquarters of the Kakdwip subdivision. History When the Tebhaga movement broke out ...

the Bhagirathi- Hooghly River

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

in the west to the Ghatal Bakla district in the east as well as

Khulna Khulna ( bn, খুলনা, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of Khulna District and Khulna Division. Khulna's economy is the third-largest in Bangladesh, contributing $53 b ...

Jessore District Jessore District (Bengali: যশোর, pronounced Jaw-shore, Anglicised: Jessore), officially spelled Jashore District from April 2018, is a district in the southwestern region of Bangladesh. It is bordered by India to the west, Khulna Distr ...

of Bangladesh. Every new moon (Amavasya), he is revered and appeased with animal sacrifices. Dakshin Rai also likes music and attracts musicians. The local tribes try their best to please the 'King of the South' by dancing and singing night after night. Dakshin Rai's father is Prabhakar ray (Danda Baksha) and mother is Narayani. His father was the ruler of the Sundarban forests. He is depicted with large whiskers. His body is slender and has a shiny, yellow tinge, which is decorated with tiger-like stripes. Drool drips from both sides of his mouth and he has a six-meter-long tail. Inhabitants of the Sundarbans pray to Dakshin Rai or

Bonbibi Banbibi, the lady of the forest, also Bandevi, Bandurga and Byaghradevi is a guardian spirit of the forests venerated by both the Hindu and the Muslim residents of the Sundarbans (spread across West Bengal state in eastern India and Banglades ...

before venturing into the mangroves, as they believe this affords them protection. Natives of some tribes bind a mask with the face of Dakshin Rai to the back of their heads, so as to confuse or scare an approaching tiger and ward off its attack.

References

{{Culture of West Bengal Culture of West Bengal Bangladeshi culture Legendary Indian people Sundarbans