The legend of Dakshin Rai, the deity who rules Sunderbans

 My husband wanted to show me something I never heard before.A fearful deity of the Sundarbans, Dakshin Rai, highly revered by the local people whose sustenance revolves around the treacherous forests of Sundarbans.

As we reached the temple in Dhapdhapi, a village in Baruipur block in South 24 parganas, West Bengal, I could not miss the two big tiger statues guarding the temple gates.

Tigers guarding the temple 

At the altar sits Dakshin Rai, in a commanding position on his ornate wooden throne, one knee slightly raised with a gun in his hand.His dress is extraordinary, he wears a closed neck jacket, white dhoti and big head gear.

The temple purohit, also a present day descendent of Dakshin Rai echoed the same as Arunava Bose, who wrote in Ghumchakkar’s Diary that worship at Dhapdhapi has ancient roots—perhaps more than 650 years—and that today’s towering seven-foot statue, complete with large whiskers, a jacket, dhoti, and a firearm, sits in a temple dating back to 1908. He also details how devotees perform special pujas at 1 AM during Poila Magh, with prasad distributed the next morning.

The idol of Dakshin Rai

According to the fable passed down through generations, Dakshin Rai was once a powerful zamindar who ruled these lands. His arrogance grew so immense that he wished to subdue the jungle itself. With tantric powers, he transformed into a majestic tiger—his preferred form—and demanded worship from the people. Some say he is the tiger incarnate, while others believe he is the spirit who commands every beast in the Sundarbans. Either way, no one in Dhapdhapi will dare step into the forest without first whispering his name.

One elder woman, who came for an evening darshan , leaned in to tell me:

“Dakshin Rai is not cruel, child. He only tests us. If your heart is clean, he lets you return from the forest. If not…” She paused.I did not need her to finish the sentence.

Temple indoor 

The stories here are intertwined with the wider lore of the Sundarbans. The tiger god is often mentioned alongside Bonbibi, the forest goddess who protects humans. Their eternal duel is the very balance of life in this fragile ecosystem. Where Bonbibi is mercy, Dakshin Rai is trial. Together, they remind every human who steps into the wilderness that survival is never a given.

This portrayal, echoed in Rangan Datta’s travel writing, frames Dakshin Rai as a fearsome force—neither wholly god nor demon, but something far more complex .

It’s a portrayal that pulses with primal dread, sharpening the line between myth and reality.The Sundarbans demand humility. Its tides erase and redraw boundaries daily. Its forests remind you how small you are. And Dakshin Rai—through the prayers whispered in Dhapdhapi, through the stories recorded by Rangan Datta, and Arunava Bose—embodies that truth. He is neither wholly god nor wholly demon. He is simply the jungle itself.