Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal
by Shubha Majumder | 2017 | 147,217 words
This page relates ‘Introduction’ of the study on the Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal based on the fields of Geography, Archaeology, Art and Iconography. Jainism represents a way of life incorporating non-violence and approaches religion from humanitarian viewpoint. Ancient Bengal comprises modern West Bengal and the Republic of Bangladesh, Eastern India. Here, Jainism was allowed to flourish from the pre-Christian times up until the 10th century CE, along with Buddhism.
Introduction
All sounds recoil thence, where speculation has no room,
nor does the mind penetrate there. The liberated is not long
or small or round or triangular….he is not black…or white….
he is without body, without contact (of matter), he is not feminine
or masculine or neuter; he perceives, he knows, but there is no analogy
(whereby to know the nature of the liberated soul); its essence is
without form; there is no condition of the unconditioned…
The present thesis entitled “Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal: A Study in Archaeology, Art and Iconography” is basically a study of the sculptural and architectural remains associated with the spread of Jainism in ancient Bengal (Fig. 1.1) (the present territories of West Bengal and the north-western parts i.e., the Rangpur and Rajsahi divisions mainly the districts of Dinajpur and Rajsahi of the republic of Bangladesh) and presently distributed in a large number of sites/settlements or “find-spots” whose settlement dynamics witnessed a long chrono-cultural development. The work also incorporates an analysis of stylistic evolution of the concerned remains and the major iconoplastic trends betrayed in the concerned sculptural remains.
Jainism, which is one of the most ancient religions that incorporated a non-violent approach and humanitarian viewpoint, flourished more than 2,000 years ago along with Buddhism. According to some scholars, there are traces of the existence of śramaṇa tradition even in pre-Vedic times (Zimmer 1951: 217-27). Jainism still retains its identity in the religious life of the Indian people as evident from the Jain establishments and followers throughout the length and breadth of the country. This religious ideology is an original system of thought and culture, quite distinct from and independent of all other Indian philosophical speculations. According to Jain traditions, Jainism is an eternal truth and its name indicates its predominantly ethical character. Theologically, it has a distinct form and philosophy and it is not only a monastic organization (Sahoo 1994: 62) but also an evangelic or a missionary religion (Nahar & Ghosh 1917/1988: 11) of ancient India.
Figure 1.1. Map of Ancient Bengal
(Modern state of West Bengal and Republic of Bangladesh)