The data comprise soil moisture profile measurements taken at depths of 10cm, 25cm, 50cm and 110cm close to trees in a valley in a tropical forest, Sirsi Karnataka, Western Ghats, India, between January 2020 and January 2022. The data provide a measure of tree soil water stress when analysed with related data e.g. hydraulics, photosystem II temperature resilience, photosynthesis characteristics and leaf traits. The overall purpose of the measurements was to determine the eco-physiological limits of functioning of tropical trees in Western Ghats India and to relate them to continuously measured temperature and water status of tropical forest trees at a representative forest fragment site (Sirsi). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/5a20234c-08b8-48c3-80da-3def9ba44626
