| Broken images
were found and the third piece was brought out from among a heap of old bricks and pieced
up. The image was found to be a fine specimen of Rishabhdeva. Another important group of
Jain shrines will be found at Dulmi, 25 miles west of Bara Bazaar. Dulmi is an ancient
village on the bank ofSubarnarekha with enormous mounds and the Jain temples are at the
extreme north end. Beglar was convinced that this area was a seat of Jain ascendancy
at one time and Hinduism succeeded the Jain influence. He mentions 3: - some of the sculpture is clearly Jain, and it is not
impossible but on the contrary probable, that the others regarding which there can be any
doubt are also Jain; there must accordingly have been a large Jain establishment here in
the ninth and tenth centuries, succeeded, say, about the eleventh century, by
Hinduism." The fusion of the two creeds is borne out by some orthodox Hindu
antiquities as well. It is very unfortunate that almost all the Jain images of the
place have now disappeared.
Near Dulmi is the small village of Deoli. There is a group of temples at Deoli village and
they all appear to be Jain in origin. In the sanctum of the largest temple of Dulmi there
is an image of Arhanath in situ. Eclecticism in Hindu religion has claimed the figure as
the Hindus worship one of the Hindu pantheon and the figure as well. The statue is three
feet high and is on a pedestal.
3 Report of Tour through the Bengal Province,
Archaeological Survey of India, Vol. VIII, 1878 |
