Waghoba: How the indigenous Warlis of western India find the Divine in big cats

Humanity, since its dawn, has found divinity in innumerable objects across the planet. Among them have been non-human animals that we share this planet with. In India, one such instance is the worship of Waghoba by the Warli Adivasis whose homeland straddles the border of present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra. Seen here are the interiors of a Waghoba shrine in Mumbai. Besides Waghoba, there are also holy stones depicting Gavdevi and Jarimari Devi, two other Warli deities. Photo: Gajanan Khergamker

Waghoba, according to a study published in 2021 in the journal Frontiers of Conservation Science, is the presiding deity in 150 shrines across Maharashtra. The titual deity of the Warlis began as a shape shifter, a human who could take on the form of a tiger or a leopard, according to its origin story as told by the tribe. Ultimately, the shape shifter took on the role of a guardian protector deity. The study published in 2021 cited this to highlight human perceptions towards big cats are “multifaceted and complex with elements of fear, awe and kinship towards the big cat”. Seen here are quintessential Warli paintings, geometric in form, with stick figures adorning the wall of a shrine of Waghoba. Seen alongside is a painting of a leopard seated on a branch. Photo: Gajanan Khergamker

The Warlis have shared their traditional homeland with big cats in the past. The Warlis are found in the districts of Palghar, Thane, Nashik, Dhule and Nandurbar in northern Maharashtra as well as Surat, Valsad, Dangs and Navsari in south Gujarat, along with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Mumbai City and Suburban districts also used to be part of traditional Warli territory, including the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), which the tribe still inhabits. Seen here are two life-sized models of tigers in their replicated natural habitat outside a Cat Orientation Centre at Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Photo: Gajanan Khergamker

The SGNP is home to a variety of wildlife, including the park’s apex predator, the Indian Leopard. The park is home to 45 leopards, according to a study released earlier this year. Mumbai is one of the few megacities of the world where an apex predator shares its habitat with one of the densest human habitations on the planet. Seen here are Chital or spotted deer, which roam about freely in the park, feeding near villages and human settlements by day. They form the main prey base of leopards in the park. Photo: Gajanan Khergamker

Warli women venturing into the forests of SGNP to fetch firewood for cooking often encounter big cats, which usually leave them alone. The Warli worship of Waghoba and their co-existence with big cats is an example of what has been stated in recent years: Indigenous peoples are the best custodians of the planet’s biodiversity. Photo: Gajanan Khergamker