A Note on the Jaina Sculptures at Palma
Summary
Pratip Kumar Mitra clarifies the location and significance of the Jaina site at Palma in Purulia district. Earlier antiquarians like Dalton and Coupland confused Palma with Balarampur, leading to misattributions of inscriptions and sculptures. Mitra explains that Palma lies along the Purulia–Manbazar road at about 86° 28′ E and 23° 13′ N and was once a flourishing Jaina settlement. In the nineteenth century Dalton recorded a temple “reduced to a heap of debris” with stone pillars and two colossal Tirthankara statues nearby. Many antiquities were subsequently removed, but the Sarak Jain Samiti of Kharkhari (Dhanbad) has erected a modern temple and preserved three sculptures. These chlorite‑stone images—Vasupujya, Rsabhanatha and a second Rsabhanatha—are placed on a cemented platform; rituals have blackened their surfaces. Mitra describes each piece in detail. Vasupujya stands in kāyotsarga on a lotus over a pañcaratha pedestal bearing a buffalo lānchana, flanked by caurī‑bearers and guarded by rows of planets. The complex back slab with parikara, chatra and flying vidyādharas reflects canonical iconography. The two Rsabhanatha figures are similarly configured with miniature Tirthankaras in vertical rows, attendants and parasols. A fourth, colossal Tirthankara is embedded near the village’s Shiv‑Mandir; headless and weather‑worn, it stands on a double‑petalled lotus. Nearby temple fragments lie scattered around the modern village. On stylistic grounds Mitra assigns the preserved images to the late tenth or eleventh centuries. Many other sculptures from Palma were removed to the Patna Museum; their loss makes the site’s interpretation difficult. He concludes by acknowledging the Sarak Jain Samiti for enabling photography and by emphasising the need for proper documentation of surviving relics.
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Conclusion
By re‑examining earlier reports and carefully describing the surviving sculptures, Mitra corrects misidentifications and firmly places Palma within the map of Bengal’s Jaina heritage. The note shows how local Jain communities have preserved a handful of late‑medieval icons despite widespread losses. The author underscores the importance of accurate provenance and urges preservation of the few remaining sculptures as witnesses to Purulia’s Jaina past.