Bon Bibi

Bon Bibi

• Bon Bibi is a deity of the Sunder ban forest, west Bengal.
• The followers of Bon Bibi are fishermen, crab-collectors, and honey-gatherers who live in the mangroves with wild animals such as tigers and crocodiles to earn a livelihood.
• They believe that only Bon Bibi protects them when they enter the forest and survive in tiger dominated areas.
• People express their belief in Bon Bibi through Bon Bibir Palagaan, it is a centuries-old folk theatre and dramatic storytelling form that is
• enacted throughout the island.
• Traditionally, the performances are held near Bon Bibi temples or villages bordering the forests.

Sundarbans

• The Sundarbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal.
• It spans from the Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal to the Baleswar River in Bangladesh.
• The active delta region is among the largest in the world, measuring about 40,000 sq km.
• India's Sundarban was declared as the UNESCO'S World Heritage site in 1987.
• Sunderban Wetland has been accorded the status of ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Ramsar Convention in 2019.
• Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve (National Park) is an Important Bird Area under Birdlife International.
• The area is known for many rare and globally threatened wildlife species such as the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), Water monitor lizard (Varanus Salvator), Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica), and olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).
• Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary is a part of Sundarban and is famous for the sight of rare birds.