Jainism in Bengal

Additionally, the Bṛhatkathākośa recounts that Jain preceptor Bhadrabahu, associated with Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, 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.

[2] The next substantial evidence for the spread of Jainism in ancient Bengal is a copper-plate grant dated Gupta Era year 159 (479 CE), found at Paharpur in Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

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 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 Jagadishpur plate, acquired by the Varendra Research Museum in 1961, confirms land grants for the Mecikāmra siddhāyatana in Puṇḍravardhana and affiliated Jain religious structures.

[3] Earlier scholars believed (Gupta, 1993-94) that Jainism nearly disappeared from ancient Bengal after the seventh century CE, with Xuanzang’s travel account being the last evidence of its popularity.

The Dudhpani inscription, found in Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand, mentions merchants traveling from Ayodhya to Tamralipta and is dated paleographically to about the eighth century CE.

Fieldwork reveals that from the eighth or ninth century onward, Jainism reached its peak in the plateau region of ancient Bengal, particularly in Rāḍha (zones I & III).

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.

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.

Further association of Jainism with Bengal appears in the Vasantavilasa by Balachandra Suri (thirteenth century CE), which notes visits to Jain temples in Ladha, Gauda, and other regions.