Jain Journal 1984 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 18

APRIL, 1984
131
ding to the Kalpa Sütra. This sect was in course of time divided into four different subsects namely the Kotivarsiya, the Pundravardhaniya, the Tamraliptiya and the Kharvatiya assuming their names from ancient place names of Bengal. Of the two great religious reformers of India Gautama Buddha and Mahavira Vardhamana, whose teaching have moulded the lives of millions of people in the country, the former is not known to have come to Bengal, nor do we find any of his early disciples having anything to do with this part of the country. On the other hand parts of Bengal were sanctified by the sacred foot falls of Mahavira and the traditions associated with Bhadrabahu and Godasa prove close association of Bengal with the preachings of Jainism from a very early age. Long ago, when Dr. Bhandarkar observed that 'while Bihar and Kosala were taken by Buddha and his adherents, Bengal was selected by Mahavira and his followers for their proselytising activities', he probably made a very correct statement regarding the relative progress of the two faiths towards the east. In fact, it has been suggested by some scholars that Bengal, which was not much favoured by the rest of northern India, from cultural point of view, had been Aryanised through the influence of Jainism. Whether Bengal was considered outside the pale of Aryandom as some scholars believe from the evidence of the Aitareya Aranyaka there is little doubt that Jainism had helped in bringing Bengal closer to the rest of the country.
Bengal's association with Jainism in the remote past is not only traced from literary traditions alone, there are enough archaeological evidences to trace this association from as early as the 5th century A.D. A copper plate inscription dated in the year 159 of the Gupta era records existence of a Jaina establishment at or near the site where later a large Buddhist monastery and temple were built by the well known Pala emperor, Dharmapala. This inscription has information about the installation of the figure of a Jina or Tirthankara at the place. Yuan Chwang, the celebrated Chinese Buddhist pilgrim while travelling through eastern India during the 7th century A.D. learnt about the existence of numerous Jaina Nirgranthas in different parts of Bengal.
These evidences are enough to tell about the existence of a very strong Jaina tradition in Bengal from a very early age. Unfortunately however, very few relics relating to Jainism are now extant from this early period. It is a pity again that the literary evidences constituting bulk of information pertaining to the existence of Jainism in Bengal begin to get scarce with the passage of time. In fact literary sources become virtually silent about the condition of Jainism in Bengal for some time till we get some information about Jainism in the Kathākosa a text of about the 9th cen