Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal
by Shubha Majumder | 2017 | 147,217 words
This page relates 鈥楯ainism in ancient Bengal according to the travel account of Xuanzang鈥� of the study on the Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal based on the fields of Geography, Archaeology, Art and Iconography. Jainism represents a way of life incorporating non-violence and approaches religion from humanitarian viewpoint. Ancient Bengal comprises modern West Bengal and the Republic of Bangladesh, Eastern India. Here, Jainism was allowed to flourish from the pre-Christian times up until the 10th century CE, along with Buddhism.
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Jainism in ancient Bengal according to the travel account of Xuanzang
There was a general tendency among the earlier scholars to believe (Gupta 1993-94: 219-20) that Jainism had almost disappeared from ancient Bengal after the seventh century CE or post-Gupta period and the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang鈥檚 travel account was the last evidence regarding the popularity of Jainism in ancient Bengal. However, several recent discoveries confirm that Jainism did not disappear from Bengal after seventh century CE and that it strongly flourished in the 搁腻岣峢补 region of ancient Bengal up to twelfth-thirteenth century CE.
According to Xuanzang鈥檚 travel account we know that Jainism retained its hold in Bengal during the seventh century CE. Xuanzang, who visited this region about 638 CE, describes Jainism as the dominant religion in two of the most important regions, one in north (笔耻峁囜笉谤补惫补谤诲丑补苍补) and the other in southeastern (厂补尘补迟补峁璦) Bengal.
While assessing the religious condition of 笔耻峁囜笉谤补惫补谤诲丑补苍补 and 厂补尘补迟补峁璦, he observed:
鈥淭here were twenty Buddhist Monasteries and above 3000 Brethren by whom the 鈥淕reat and Little Vehicles鈥� were followed: the DevaTemples were 100 in number, and the followers of the various sects lived pell-mell, the Digambara Nirgranths being very numerous鈥� (1961: 184).
Referring to 厂补尘补迟补峁璦 or Lower Bengal to the east of the Ganges the pilgrim observes:
鈥淚t had more than 30 Buddhist Monasteries鈥�.There were 100 Deva Temples, the various sects lived pell-mell, and the Digambara Nirgranthas were very numerous鈥� (ibid.: 187).
On the basis of Xuanzang鈥檚 report it should be assumed that during the post-Gupta period Digambara Jain Nirgranths were more numerous then the followers of Buddhism and Brahmanical religious ideologies in north and south-eastern Bengal[1]. On this basis we may assume that during that time Jainism flourished as a result of constant support of the Pu峁囜笉ravardhan墨ya and T膩mraliptika 艢腻办丑腻蝉.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
In this context it should be mentioned that the 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 Jainas were popular in the norther Indian including the Mathura region while Digambara sect was flourished in the eastern Indian including the ancient Bengal. P.C. Bagchi (1971: 410-1, fn.3) suggests that it is probably due to the amalgamation of the 膧j墨vikas with the Jainas.