A Survey of Jaina Antiquarian Remains in West Bengal

Summary

In this comprehensive survey D. K. Chakravarty catalogues the antiquarian remains of Jainism scattered across West Bengal. He focuses particularly on Radha country—today’s districts of Bankura and Purulia—where numerous ruined temples and sculptures attest to the region’s medieval Jaina vitality. The article describes major sites such as Telkupi, Pakbirra, Deuli, Harmasra, Dharapat, Cheliyama and Bahulara. At Telkupi, now submerged beneath a reservoir, twelve brick‑stone temples once stood; the author notes that many were destroyed during dam construction and relocates surviving images in nearby villages. Pakbirra preserves a group of stone temples in various states of ruin; Chakravarty analyses their tri‑ratha plans, pidha roofs and mouldings, comparing them with the better‑known Telkupi series. The Deuli Panchayatana group, consisting of a central shrine and four corner shrines, is discussed in detail; the author argues that differences in doorway construction suggest two phases of building. Harmasra’s Siddhesvara temple is now a Saiva shrine, yet retains a Jaina image of Parsvanatha built into its back wall. At Dharapat and Cheliyama, eroded Tirthankara images sit under trees or in Hindu temples. The survey also lists minor antiquities—caumukha miniatures, damaged bronzes and loose architectural fragments—often discovered during ploughing. Throughout, Chakravarty emphasises how lack of preservation and the practice of reusing Jaina idols in Hindu worship obscure the original context of these remains. He concludes with a plea to document the surviving monuments and to rescue stones from ruinous sites before they are lost to erosion or theft.