Jainism in Ancient Bengal

Summary

Jainism in Ancient Bengal emphasises the long and distinctive history of the Nirgrantha (Jain) tradition in Bengal. The author notes that Jainism, an ancient institution of thought aimed at attaining perfect knowledge and liberation from rebirth, contributed not only to philosophical inquiry but also to art and literature. Although Mahavira is credited with formalising the religion in the sixth century B.C., the ideals embodied by the succession of twenty‑four Tirthankaras can be traced to earlier figures like Rsabhanatha, and Bengal occupies a unique place in this narrative. Among the Tirthankaras, Parsvanatha and Neminatha belonged to an age close to the threshold of history, and twenty of the twenty‑four Tirthankaras attained nirvana on the crest of Sammeta Sikhar (Mount Parsvanath) in the Hazari Bagh district, indicating that eastern India was intimately connected with Jain sacred geography. Tradition recorded in the Kathakoda suggests that the Jain preceptor Bhadrabahu, a contemporary of Chandragupta Maurya, was born at Devakoti or Kotivarsa in north Bengal, while his disciple Gadasa established an order known as Gadassanga with three branches—Tamraliptika, Kotivarsiya and Pundravardhaniya—all centred on Bengal. The article discusses how Mauryan and later rulers were aware of the popularity of the Nirgrantha religion and the related Ajivika community and how the Nirgranthas gained a strong foothold in Bengal by the imperial Maurya period. Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang noted large numbers of Jain followers in the seventh century A.D., and early inscriptions like the fifth‑century copper plate from Paharpur (Bangladesh) record gifts of land for Jain monasteries. The author traces architectural and sculptural evidence attesting to Bengal’s Jain heritage. Ruins of Jain shrines and numerous Jina images have been discovered across West Bengal in districts such as 24 Parganas, Midnapur, Bankura, Burdwan and Purulia. A seven‑foot image of the Tirthankara Candraprabha at Purulia and a bronze Candraprabha from Chandraprabu near Vaishali are cited as examples of early iconographic styles. The paper notes that later images show features such as kayotsarga pose and meditative austerity. Important sculptures are preserved in the Indian Museum, Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art, the State Archaeological Gallery of West Bengal, the Vangiya Sahitya Parishad in Calcutta and the Varendra Research Society in Rajshahi. Collections assembled by Puran Chand Nahar and Kalidas Dutta illustrate the richness of Jain art. The article also mentions architectural relics like the brick temple of Sat‑Deuliya near Memari in Burdwan, whose curvilinear turret resembles Orissa prototypes, and identifies Bengal’s Sat‑Deuliya and DiyaVadana temples as evidence of thriving Nirgrantha activity. Despite the decline of Jainism in the post‑Gupta period and subsequent political and cultural vicissitudes, the author emphasises that the religion was periodically reintroduced by immigrants from western India and that its influence persisted in local cults such as those of the Sarks of the western highlands and the Avadhut mystics, whose reverence for all life recalls themes from the Ācārāṅga Sūtra. The essay concludes that Bengal played a significant role in the propagation of Jain ideals and that its Jain archaeological remains deserve greater scholarly attention.