Volume-II, Special Issue, March 2026
Novel Insights A Peer-Reviewed Quarterly Multidisciplinary Research Journal |
Volume-II, Special Issue, March 2026 |
From Context to Tradition: The Supremacy of Water Rituals in Indian Sundarbans Pritam Ghosh, Research Scholar, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, West Bengal, India Email: ghoshpritam0087@gmail.com |
Received: 20.03.2026 | Accepted: 24.03.2026 | Published Online: 31.03.2026 |
Page No: 100-105 | DOI: 10.69655/novelinsights.vol.2.issue.specialW.93 | |
Abstract | ||
Since time immemorial, water has been firmly connected with any culture to sustain livelihood. Water has a profound relationship with human civilization as nearly all the ancient cultures were set up on the banks of rivers or large water bodies. In the Indian cultural context, water serves as the purifying element of nature. From birth to death, water plays a vital role in Indian society especially in Sundarbans regions of West Bengal. As a natural agent, water is found here to a large extent. The islanders believe water to be their deity, and they worship water regularly before starting their journey towards the mangrove forest for earning their livelihood. The present paper tries to explore these water-based rituals and how these rituals became tradition over the ages. The dwellers perform some rituals irrespective of their religions. They take the rituals as the unwritten laws of the jungle. They keep their belief in these rituals and obey with great reverence for their safe return from Mahal (working in the Forest). Making any exceptions to the rituals may jeopardize their lives in the jungle. In the Sundarbans, every islander observes these water-based rituals. These celebrations not only reflect their reverence for nature but also reinforce their vital connection to the environment. The islanders believe that the rituals may protect their lives in any perilous circumstances in the Sundarbans where the lives of the islanders are deeply intertwined with the forest and water. The paper promotes these water-based rituals which are observed over generations in the islands of Sundarbans and how these turn into a tradition. The paper will highlight the social realities of people of Sundarbans which acts as their context. Thereby, the representation of the traditions centring water will be the focal point of the present study. This paper will analyse how the contexts have been transformed and the traditions are settled down. How these traditions work as symbolic power and balance of the natural world will be highlighted here. Keywords: Ritual, Sundarbans, Tradition, Water, Culture, Worship. | ||