The tiger is revered as the protector of the forest. Indian mythology has several stories where the tiger is believed to have powers to do everything from fighting dragons to create rain, keeping children safe from nightmares, and having healing properties. In Islam, it is believed that Allah has sent the tiger to protect his followers and punish traitors.

The Warli tribe worships the Tiger God, Vaghdeva. They believe that the tiger is the greatest of all gods and donate part of their harvest every season to the tiger, as a symbol of life and regeneration.

They also regard the tiger as the bringer of fertility. Warli couples are dressed in tiger colours - red and yellow shawls - when they visit the temple of the Goddess of Marriage, Palaghata. According to legend, if the goddess is angry, the shawls would turn into tigers and devour the couple. If she is pleased, the couple is blessed with a child. Warli paintings show the tiger as a part of everyday life, sitting or walking through a village.

In Nagaland, the tiger and man are said to be brothers since the mother of the first spirit, of the first tiger and of the first man, are believed to have emerged from the earth out of a common passage, which was a pangolin's den.

The Goddess Durga, since the ancient Indus valley civilisation, is shown riding a tiger. Durga was created to destroy evil and the tiger was probably chosen as a symbol of power and immortality.

Tiger dances, in which young children are drawn into every year, are an important part of tradition in the Udipi town of Karnataka. They are part of the carnival celebrations on Lord Krishna's birthday, Janmashtami, but it is believed by some that the dances may have originated in Muslim culture. Click for more pictures of the Huli Vesha dance performance.

In parts of northern Bengal, both Hindus and Muslims worship the tiger. Paintings show a Muslim priest, with prayer beads and a staff, riding a tiger and fighting evil. In the Sunderbans, the Hindu Goddess Banobibi or Dakshin Rai, the Muslim God, protect the people from demons, crocodiles and even tiger's anger. So before setting out into the Tiger Reserve, people make an offering of sweets, rice and fruit to Banobibi or soothe Dakshin Rai with music.

In art, tigers may be shown sprouting wings, carrying princesses on their backs, becoming a white streak, part of the Milky Way to protect the Earth. Throughout history, tigers have been regarded as life-givers, guardians and protectors.

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