Religion in West Bengal

The modern structure of Bengali Hindu society was developed during the rule of the Sena dynasty in the 12th century AD.

West Bengal has been home to several famous religious teachers, including Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna, Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and Paramahansa Yogananda who helped to abolish archaic practices like sati, dowry, and caste-based discrimination or untouchability that crept into the Hindu society during the Middle Ages.

[9] Buddhism has a rich heritage in Bengal, flourishing during the Pala dynasty (750–1174 CE), but it has roots even earlier, dating to the reign of Emperor Ashoka (r. c.268–232 BCE).

The region was a bastion of the ancient Buddhist Mauryan and Palan empires, when the Mahayana and Vajrayana schools flourished.

[14][15] The Flemish artist Frans Baltazard Solvyns arrived in Calcutta in 1791 and observed many Sikhs, whom one could differentiate from the rest of the land's inhabitants by their garbs and traditions.

[14] Hinduism is the largest religion of West Bengal with about 71% people responded that they were Hindus during the 2011 Census of India.

[16] Buddhism is the fourth largest religion of West Bengal with about 0.31% people responded that they were Buddhists during the 2011 Census of India.