Lore of Lowdope

By Khasru Chowdhury

Lawdope is situated at the northern tip of the Sundarbans. It is a forest patrol outpost under the Chandpai Range. From Mongla a mechanised boat may take 2 hours to reach Lawdope

A full moon always has a profound impact on individuals. They get moon-struck. Some like a full-moon night on hill stations, some like to enjoy it on a sea beach and some even like its influence on the forest.
We are now drifting through the Lawdope canal on a tourist boat enjoying the full moon of the Sundarbans. The canal that marks the northernmost forest boundary is itself a scenic one. On both sides of the canal, the forest is rich in vegetation. The moon is mirrored on the swiftly flowing water of the tidal canal and looks like a melted gold strip.
The vesper call of the nightjar, chattering of the jungle myna, resounding hoot of the brown fish owl at the isolated forest outpost of Lowdope make the atmosphere mysterious. Fear hangs in the air. Are predators waiting for prey in the deep shadow under the forest canopy. But nothing can stop our temptation for a boat trip. Cruising by a country boat through the creeks where overhanging branches make the way more of a tunnel can give you the true feeling of a jungle adventure.
Flash of the torch can reveal what is waiting in the darkness. Unwary deer, pigs or birds can be spotted by the powerful beam, and if luck favours Mama -- the Royal Bengal Tiger -- may also be seen.
Our night venture however was not that eventful as only one monitor lizard and some night birds were spotted.
Next morning, we made a bird watching trip on our small country boat. We drifted down with the high tide and instructed the boatman to keep it close to the forest edge. The first rays of sun were filtering through the tall mangrove (Kankra tree) tree canopy which is a rare sight in other parts of the Sundarbans.
The music of the swift flowing tidal water mingled with the notes of the passerine birds whistling to greet the day. We focused our attention on the foliage across. Within no time, we spotted birds of various sizes and colours. We spotted the largest eagle found in Bangladesh, Palla's fishing eagle, gray-headed fishing eagle, white-bellied fishing eagle, crested serpent eagle, changeable hank eagle, Osprey, Brahmany kite, white-backed vulture, four species of woodpeckers, five species of kingfishers, three species of mynas, three species of egret, two species of heron, and bulbuls.
Twittering warblers were everywhere, sunbirds were busy checking nectar of Kankra flowers, orioles, drongos flew from one branch to another. It was a paradise of birds.
Mangrove forests are not blessed with diverse plants and so cannot sustain diverse animals and birds. I never encounter so many species of birds as we spotted in lawdope except at Katka Kachikhali belt on the east of the forest.
We saw children and women in waist deep water dipping triangular nets in the river to collect shrimp fry. After breakfast we visited a village. In this part of the country, houses are usually built on the sides of dykes to escape tidal water. These dykes also act as road networks. The villagers are very humble and friendly. Shrimp cultivators have grabbed most of their land, but the villager are still left with some agriculture and grazing lands. This is a fantastic place for those who love the jungle lore about tigers and the forest deities. Stray tigers sometimes enter the village at night to prey on unattended livestock and village pie dogs.
Every villager has their own story to tell about evil spirits and tigers. We encountered a Gunin -- a bewitched man . People believe he can charm tigers.
Then we met Kumud Babu, 60-year-old man who organises Bonbibi Puja or worship of the tiger. We visited his worship place, a tiny hut at the forest entry point where colourful effigies of deities such as Ma Bonbibi, Dukhey, Dhaksin Ray, Gazi Shaheb and Sha Jangli are on display.


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