Jainism in Bengal explained

Archaeological evidence shows Jainism was a significant religion in Bengal region during the early historic period.[1]

Sarak

See main article: Sarak. Saraks are a Jain community in Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand. They have been followers of Jainism since ancient times; however, they were isolated and sain community in western, northern and southern India.

According to Ramesh Chandra Majumder, the Jain scholar Bhadrabahu, the second Louhacharya and the author of Kalpa Sutra may have come from the Sarak community.[2] The Saraks were agriculturists and moneylenders having landed properties.

They have continued to remain vegetarian even though this practice is uncommon among other communities in the region. Saraks have Parshva as a favored patron and recite the Ṇamōkāra mantra. The 24th Tirthankara Mahavira visited this region according to the Kalpa Sūtra.

The Saraks lost contact with Jains in the rest of India after its conquest by Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji. Contact with the Digambara Bundelkhand Jains was reestablished when the Parwars Manju Chaudhary (1720–1785) was appointed the governor of Cuttack by the Maratha Empire.

In 2009, more than 165 Sarak Jains living in parts of West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand visited the ancient Jain pilgrimage center of Shravanabelagola. A special function to welcome the Sarak Jains was organised at Shravanabelagola.[3]

Population

Population by district

Most of the Bengali Jains now live in the Indian state of West Bengal.

District Total population Jain population %
1 4,496,694 254678 4.09%
2 4,850,029 9,699 0.20%
3 10,009,781 4,452 0.04%
4 2,930,115 3,052 0.10%
5 7,103,807 3,037 0.04%
6 3,596,674 2,904 0.08%
7 5,519,145 2,160 0.04%
8 2,819,086 1,869 0.07%
9 1,846,823 1,840 0.10%
10 7,717,563 1,674 0.02%
11 5,913,457 1,550 0.03%
12 3,872,846 1,461 0.04%
13 3,007,134 1,324 0.04%
14 3,502,404 1,152 0.03%
15 8,161,961 972 0.01%
16 3,988,845 639 0.02%
17 5,095,875 574 0.01%
18 1,676,276 323 0.02%
19 5,167,600 281 0.01%
West Bengal (Total) 91,276,115 60,141 0.07%

Trends

Trends in Jain population of West Bengal[4] ! Census year! % of total population
1951 0.08%
1961 0.08%
1971 0.07%
1981 0.07%
1991 0.05%
2001 0.07%
2011 0.06%
It is to ensure that the above mentioned data is incorrect while the actual percent is very high for jains and other religions those following Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and others. So far my details and research the population is also wrong for the above mentioned cases. Thanks for your attention. Thank you. Edited by hindustani .. express

See also

Notes and References

  1. Bibliography PC Bagchi, 'Development of Religious Ideas' in RC Majumdar (ed), History of Bengal, Vol-1, Dacca, 1968 (2nd edn);
  2. Book: Kundu, Santosh Kumar . Bangali Hindu Jati Parichay . An Introduction of Bengali Hindu Castes . bn . 2008 . Presidency Library . Kolkata . 978-81-89466-13-8 . 273–275.
  3. Web site: > News Updates . Www.Jainheritagecentres.Com . 2009-09-02 . 2012-05-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151223043115/http://www.jainheritagecentres.com/News/2009/09-Sept/02_News_Updates_001.htm . 23 December 2015 . dmy-all .
  4. News: Bengal's topsy-turvy population growth . B.P. Syam Roy . The Statesman . 28 September 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160910125228/http://www.thestatesman.com/news/opinion/bengal-s-topsy-turvy-population-growth/93152.html . 10 September 2016 . dmy-all .