Decline and Fall of Jainism in Western Bengal
Summary
The subject of this article is the historical decline and eventual disappearance of Jainism from ancient western Bengal. The author, Amiya Kumar Banerjee, presents the main argument that Jainism, which had once firmly established itself in the region and guided its people toward Aryan civilization, was completely absorbed by resurgent Brahmanical Hinduism rather than being displaced through violent conflict. The author supports this argument by citing the views of Dr. Ramkrishna Gopal Bhadarkar, who claimed that Pracyadesa, encompassing most of ancient Bengal, was Aryanised by Jainism and that Mahavira and his followers specifically selected the region for their missionary activities. The ancient Jaina texts, specifically the Acaranga Sūtra and the Kalpa Sūtra, along with Buddhist texts like the Bodhisattvavadana Kalpalata and the Divyavadana, are referenced to detail the early incursion and subsequent development of the faith in this eastern region. To substantiate the claim of assimilation, the author provides extensive iconographic and archaeological evidence from the Radha country. In the Bankura district, a Siva temple on Biharinath hill contains a heavily weathered image of the Jaina Tirthankara Parsvanatha alongside a well-preserved twelve-armed Visnu, suggesting the latter replaced the former. Similarly, Pareshnath, near the Kangsavati Dam, shows traces of an ancient Jaina settlement that was later taken over by Hindu deities such as Surya and Siva. The village of Dharapat, located near Vishnupur, features a Krsna temple whose walls incorporate a Visnu (Vasudeva) figure and two images of Parsvanatha, one of which was physically altered by carving additional hands holding the cakra and gada to convert it into a Vasudeva image. The author identifies Bahulara as the most compelling example, where excavations revealed brick-built stūpas analogous to those at Kankali Tila near Mathura, and a stone Parsvanatha image was found preserved within the sanctum of a Siva temple. The author concludes that these instances across the Radha, Manbhum, and Singbhum regions demonstrate that Jainism yielded its place to Hinduism through a gentle process of assimilation, leaving no trace of the faith as a religious force since approximately the 12th century A.D.
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Conclusion
This study demonstrates that Jainism held significant early influence in ancient Bengal before its total disappearance around the twelfth century A.D. The key finding is that this decline was not the result of violent conflict but rather a gradual assimilation by resurgent Brahmanical Hinduism, which absorbed and supplanted the older faith. Archaeological evidence from sites like Bankura and Vishnupur—including repurposed temples, worn Tirthankara images, and converted statues—substantiates this process of religious transition. The implications of this research highlight the broader historical dynamic of how Hinduism expanded across India through a gentle, assimilatory process. Ultimately, the significance of this study lies in its illumination of a major religious shift in eastern India, offering crucial insights into the complex interplay and gradual submergence of decaying Jainism beneath the expanding folds of Hindu civilization.