Jain Journal 2005 10

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

Page 20

JAINISM IN BENGAL
Chitta Ranjan Pal
Jainism in Bengal during 10th century. A.D.
By the tenth century A.D. North India virtually shut her doors to the followers of Gautama Buddha. But the Buddhists had already broken new grounds in the dominions of the Pāla Kings in Bengal and Bihar' during the cighth century A.D. After the disappearance of Buddhism from the North, the Nirgranthas (Jainas) had got an opportunity to extend their influence there, but with the exception of gaining some stray foot-holds in one or two territories of the North, the Nirgranthas (Jainas) failed to utilize this opportunity to their favour. Instead of extending their influence to the North, they kept themselves busy in strengthening and consolidating their position in Western India’, especially in Gujrat and Rajasthana.
Though the Nirgranthas (Jainas) failed to strengthen thier position in Northern India, (it is the endevour of the writer of this article to show that), they were able to retain their religious influence in and around their age-old strongholds in Bengal. Eclecticism as well as tolerance of the Pāla Kings was helpful for the undisturbed missionary activities of the Nirgrantha or the Jaina monks in Bengal. Needless to say, these traditional strong-holds of the Nirgranthas (Jainas) in Bengal were Koțivarsa - Pundravardhana (North Bengal), Samataţa-Vanga (East Bengal) and Tāmralipti-Rādha (Western Bengal).
To prove the content of this article, the present writer is to rely upon the evidence culled out from the BỊhatkathakosa, composed by Harişeņasūri in 931 A.D.
The Brhatkuthākosa reminds us of another Brhatkathā (now
The Age of Imperial Kanauj, ed. by R.C. Mazumder, p. 257 Ibid.