Jainism in Bengal
Archaeological evidence shows Jainism was a significant religion in Bengal region during the early historic period.
History
Ancient period
Jain ideology in ancient Bengal developed in two main phases: an early period and a later phase marked by the emergence of local rulers. Early references to Jainism in Bengal include the 4th-century BCE Hatigumpha inscription, where King Khāravela of Kalinga, a Jain devotee, retrieved a Jina image taken by a Nanda ruler of Gangaridai, indicating possible Jain influence in the region.Buddhist texts like the Divyavadana suggest Jainism's presence in Pundravardhana by the time of Ashoka. Additionally, the Bṛhatkathākośa recounts that Jain preceptor Bhadrabahu, associated with Sthulabhadra, was born in North Bengal, implying Jainism's roots in the area. The Kalpa Sutra mentions Bhadrabahu's disciple, Godasa, who established branches in Tāmralipta, Koṭivarṣa, and Puṇḍravardhana—regions that served as early Jain centers in Bengal.
Archaeological finds such as a Jain terracotta plaque from Murshidabad and an inscription from Mathura referencing a Jain monk from Rāḍha suggest a well-established Jain presence by the 1st century CE. Discoveries like the terracotta figure of Naigamesha in Burdwan further indicate Jainism's integration into local folk practices during the Kuṣāṇa period.
By the early medieval era, Jainism likely persisted in areas like Kumariparvata, supported by regional monastic movements, particularly from the Tāmraliptikā branch.
Gupta period
The next substantial evidence for the spread of Jainism in ancient Bengal is a copper-plate grant dated Gupta Era year 159, found at Paharpur in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Known primarily for its Pāla Buddhist monastery, this inscription marks the earliest archaeological Jain record in Bengal during the Gupta period. It documents an endowment by a Brahmin couple, Nāthaśarman and his wife Rāmī, who donated lands for the worship of Arhats at the Vaṭa-Gōhālī vihāra, overseen by disciples of the Nirgrantha Śramaṇācārya Guhanadin from the pañchastūpa section of Kāśi.The Vaṭa-Gōhālī vihāra likely corresponds to the present-day site of Paharpur. Despite limited Jain artefacts, the donation by a Brahmin couple for Jain worship illustrates notable religious tolerance in the region. The inscription implies Guhanadin's discipleship lineage and indicates his activity around the late 4th century CE, placing the foundation of the vihāra about 50 years prior.
The term pañchastūpa sect is referenced in Digambara literature; eminent monks such as Virasena and Jinasena were part of this sect. Harishena's Bṛhatkathākośa records the establishment of five stūpas at Mathura, suggesting an early Digambara presence that possibly spread to Bengal. Other records from the period, such as the Jagadishpur copper plate, further illustrate Jain influence.
The Jagadishpur plate, acquired by the Varendra Research Museum in 1961, confirms land grants for the Mecikāmra siddhāyatana in Puṇḍravardhana and affiliated Jain religious structures. This siddhāyatana, potentially a Jain establishment, suggests North Bengal's Jain presence during the Gupta period, with donations from agrarian families. Together with records from Nāthaśarman and Rāmī's donation, these findings underscore Jainism's significant reach and support among diverse social classes in Bengal.
Earlier scholars believed that Jainism nearly disappeared from ancient Bengal after the seventh century CE, with Xuanzang’s travel account being the last evidence of its popularity. However, recent discoveries confirm that Jainism persisted and flourished in the Rāḍha region of Bengal up to the twelfth or thirteenth century CE.
Xuanzang's account, from around 638 CE, indicates that Jainism retained a stronghold in Bengal during the seventh century, describing it as the dominant faith in two prominent regions: Pundravardhana in the north and Samatata in southeastern Bengal.
Regarding Pundravardhana and Samatata, Xuanzang observed:
For Samatata, Xuanzang noted:
Based on Xuanzang's descriptions, it can be inferred that during the post-Gupta period, Digambara Jain Nirgranths were more numerous than followers of Buddhism and Brahmanical ideologies in both northern and southeastern Bengal. This prominence suggests that Jainism continued to thrive in Bengal, possibly due to sustained support from the Pundravardhanīya and Tāmraliptika Śākhās.
Early medieval period
Jainism was gradually overshadowed by the Vajrayana Buddhist influence in the Pāla strongholds of North Bengal, parts of Bihar, and the Samatata region. Without royal patronage and faced with strong Brahmanical and Buddhist religious currents, Jainism struggled to thrive independently. However, it did survive, particularly in the upland areas of Western Bengal, likely due to the support of the trading community.The Dudhpani inscription, found in Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand, mentions merchants travelling from Ayodhya to Tamralipta and is dated paleographically to about the eighth century CE. Field surveys have also documented inscribed Jain images in Purulia, Bankura, and Burdwan districts. These inscriptions refer to donors and are dated to the ninth/tenth through twelfth/thirteenth centuries CE, suggesting sponsorship by the Jain mercantile community.
Unfortunately, no Pāla or Sena period epigraphic records from northern Bengal have been discovered to detail Jainism's spread. However, the Bangarh inscription from the reign of Nayapala indirectly refers to Jain monks in the Bangarh region. The inscription praises a Śaiva teacher, Guru Murtisiva, who defeated Jain Digambara ascetics in religious debates:
This indicates that Jainism persisted, albeit with diminished influence, in parts of Bengal and that Śaiva teachers competed with them to establish dominance.
Fieldwork reveals that from the eighth or ninth century onward, Jainism reached its peak in the plateau region of ancient Bengal, particularly in Rāḍha. Isolated, resource-rich, and conducive to non-farming activities, this region likely drew Jain communities, whose members were involved in local trade and resource extraction. The area's archaeological wealth—temple complexes, sculptures, and architectural remains—suggests it was a thriving Jain center up to the thirteenth century CE.
Western Bengal's plateau region, known for its sparse forest cover and deposits of metals and minerals, may have been attractive to Jains, locally known as Saraks, for its economic potential. Local traditions of ironworking among tribes like the Bhumij and Asura likely supplemented Jain mercantile interests in resource procurement and trade.
Notably, Beglar describes trade routes connecting Tamluk with Patna and other regions, facilitating the movement of Jain merchants. He writes:
File:Statue of Adinath at Pakbirra Jain Shrine of Purulia 05.jpg|thumb|alt=Statue of Rishabhanatha at Pakbirra Jain temple, Purulia|Statue of Rishabhanatha at Pakbirra Jain temple, Purulia. ca. 9th century
Jain sculptures with inscriptions in localised Gauḍī script have also been found, reflecting local patronage and recording the names of donors, such as “dānapati Śakalamagana” on a Tīrthaṅkara Ṛṣabhanātha image from Bhabanipur in Purulia, and “dānapati Sanadeva” on a Tīrthaṅkara Pārśvanātha image from Tumba. These inscriptions, though often in corrupt Sanskrit, document Jain patronage in the region.
One noteworthy early medieval Jain saint, Somadeva, author of the Yaśastilakacampū, was originally from Bengal and mentions a Jain shrine at Tamralipta in his writings. Further association of Jainism with Bengal appears in the Vasantavilasa by Balachandra Suri, which notes visits to Jain temples in Ladha, Gauda, and other regions.
Jainism, thus, remained a major religious ideology in eastern India from the eighth century CE onwards. This is evident from the archaeological distribution of Jain sites and sculptural remains, especially across modern-day West Bengal.
18th century to present
Jainism was wiped out from Bengal alongside Vajrayana, following Bakhtiyar Khalji's invasion of Bengal in 1204, which heralded the beginning of Islamic rule in the region. However, Jainism saw a resurgence in the state following Mughal conquest, caused by migration of rich Jain merchant communities from Rajasthan and other parts of India to Dhaka, the provincial capital of Bengal Subah to pursue commercial interests. The most consequential among these Jain immigrants was the Jagat Seth family. The Nawabs of Bengal came to be increasingly dependent on the banking network of the Jagat Seths to pay revenues to the increasingly weakening Mughal emperor in Delhi. Around 1700s, Murshid Quli Khan, under the influence of Jagat Seth Manikchand, shifted the seat of power from Dhaka to Murshidabad, significantly close to the Jain pilgrimage site of Sammed Shikhar, in order to tackle the Maratha incursions. This resulted in creation of Jain diaspora communities in Murshidabad & the surrounding city of Jiaganj-Azimganj. After the establishment of British rule in India, Jain merchants from Marwari & Gujarati communities migrated to Kolkata to avail better financial opportunities.Communities
Sarak
Saraks are a Jain ethnoreligious group found in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Assam and Bangladesh. They have been followers of Jainism since ancient times; however, they were isolated and the Jain community in western, northern and southern India.According to Ramesh Chandra Majumder, the Jain scholar Bhadrabahu, the second Louhacharya and the author of Kalpa Sutra may have come from the Sarak community. The Saraks were agriculturists and moneylenders having landed properties.
They have continued to remain vegetarian even though this practice is uncommon among other communities in the region. Saraks have Parshva as a favoured patron and recite the Ṇamōkāra mantra. The 24th Tirthankara Mahavira visited this region according to the Kalpa Sūtra.
The Saraks lost contact with Jains in the rest of India after its conquest by Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji. Contact with the Digambara Bundelkhand Jains was reestablished when the Parwars Manju Chaudhary was appointed the governor of Cuttack by the Maratha Empire.
In 2009, more than 165 Sarak Jains living in parts of West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand visited the ancient Jain pilgrimage center of Shravanabelagola. A special function to welcome the Sarak Jains was organised at Shravanabelagola.