Decline and Fall of Jainism in Western Bengal
By Amiya Kumar Banerji
Summary
Amiya Kumar Banerji analyses the causes behind the decline and eventual disappearance of Jainism from western Bengal. After flourishing between the 8th and 11th centuries, the religion lost patronage and followers. Banerji argues that several factors converged. The rise of powerful Hindu sects under the Sena rulers encouraged assimilation: Jaina Tirthankara images were reidentified as Saiva or Vaisnava deities, and temples were appropriated by Brahmanical cults. The Digambara clergy, facing dwindling support, left the region, leaving lay Sarak Jains without guidance; many eventually adopted Hindu practices while retaining a few Jaina customs. Socio‑economic changes also played a role: Jainism’s traditional mercantile base weakened as trade routes shifted and new political powers emerged. The impact of Islamic conquests was indirect—iconoclasm affected temples, but the faith had already been in decline. Banerji notes that by the 13th century few new Jaina images were being carved in Bengal. Literary references and inscriptions from later periods are scarce. He emphasises that the decline was gradual, marked more by assimilation and neglect than by persecution. Yet the memory of Jainism persists in the Sarak community, place‑names, and surviving monuments scattered across Bankura and Purulia. The article calls for recognising this layered history and preserving what remains.
Conclusion
Banerji’s assessment shows that the decline of Jainism in western Bengal was less a story of violent upheaval than of cultural assimilation and shifting patronage. The absorption of Jaina sites into Hindu traditions, combined with economic changes, left the Sarak community isolated and the faith’s material culture vulnerable. Acknowledging these processes is essential for contextualising the region’s Jaina heritage and for informing conservation efforts.