Hinduism in West Bengal

Hindus in West Bengal
Total population
64,385,546 (2011)[1]
70.54 % of Population
Regions with significant populations
Majority in all districts except Murshidabad and Maldah districts.
Languages
Bengali language

Hinduism is the largest religious tradition in the Indian state of West Bengal (Paschimbanga) with 70.54 % of the population identifying themselves as Hindus (as of 2011).[2] The Hindus in West Bengal mostly belong to the Vaishnavite and Shakta denominations.

Hinduism had existed in the region of Bengal before the 16th century BC and by the 3rd century, Buddhism and Jainism were popular too.[3] Gaur, the first sovereign Hindu kingdom in Bengal with its capital in Karnasubarna in modern-day Murshidabad district, was set up by Shashanka, a Shaivaite king who ruled approximately between 600 AD and 625 AD. The modern structure of Bengali Hindu society was developed during the rule of the Sena dynasty in the 12th century AD. Islam arrived in Bengal in the 13th century and subsequently conquered the region. But while the Muslim saints and rulars successfully spread Islam and established it as the major religion of eastern parts of Bengal (now Bangladesh), they fail do the same in the western parts because of the strong base of Vaishnavism and folk Hinduism in the Rarh and the Gangetic regions of West Bengal where Hinduism remained the major religious group till today. West Bengal has been home to several famous religious teachers, including Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and Paramahansa Yogananda who helped to abolish evil practices like sati, dowry, and caste-based discrimination or untouchability that crept into the Hindu society during the Middle Ages.

The language of the Hindus in West Bengal is Bengali. A large number of Hindu religious texts like biographies of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Mangal-kavyas, Bratakathas and Panchalis as well as dharmik writings of modern Bengali philosophers and saints have been produced in Bengali for many centuries.

Kali and Chandi are the most worshipped Hindu goddesses in West Bengal. Worship of Durga, Shiva, Krishna and other gods and goddesses is also common. Durga Puja is the most important festivals of the Hindus in West Bengal as well as the most significant festival of the state in general. Other major festivals include Kali Puja, Dolyatra, Poila Baishakh, Ratha-Yatra, Saraswati Puja, Poush Parban etc.

Festivals

Durga Puja in Kolkata.
Kali Puja.

Hindus in West Bengal observe a number of festivals, hence the Bengali proverb Baro Mase Tero Parbon (বারো মাসে তেরো পার্বণ, "thirteen festivals in twelve months"). The Bengali year begins with Poila Boishakh ceremony on 14th or 15 April. Traditional business establishment commence their fiscal year on this day, with the worship of Lakshmi and Ganesha and inauguration of the Hal Khata (the account books of the Bengali merchants). People dress in ethnic wear and enjoy ethnic food. Poila Baishakh is followed by Rabindra Jayanti or the Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore which is celebrated as one of the major festivals of the state, Rathyatra and Janmashtami before the commencement of the autumnal festival season which starts with Biswakarma Puja on the last day of Bengali month of Bhadra. The annual five-day Durga Puja is the biggest and most widely celebrated Hindu festival in West Bengal. Durga Puja is followed by Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja, Bhai Phonta and Jagaddhatri Puja. The winter solstice is celebrated a Paush Sankranti in mid January, followed by Netaji Jayanti or the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Saraswati Puja. The spring is celebrated in the form of Dolyatra. The year ends with Charak Puja and Gajan.

Temples

Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata
Kalighat Temple
Hangseshwari and Vasudev temple at Hooghly district
The temple at Caitanya Mahaprabhu's birthplace in Mayapur, Nadia established by Bhaktivinoda Thakur in 1880s.
Temple of Taraknath with Dudhpukur tank in the foreground
Krishna-Gouranga (Jor Bangla) Temple at Bishnupur, Bankura
The Temple of Tarapith at Birbhum
Sri Ramakrishna Temple, Belur Math.
Kapil Muni Ashram at Gangasagar

Temple architecture in Paschimbanga architecture has assumed a unique identity and evolved into the Bengali terra cotta temple architecture. Due to lack of suitable stone in the alluvial Gangetic delta, the temple makers had to resort to other materials instead of stone. This gave rise to using terra cotta as a medium for temple construction. Terra-cotta exteriors with rich carvings are a unique feature of Bengali temples. The town of Vishnupur in West Bengal is renowned for this type of architecture.

Usually a part of the intended total motif was carved by hand on one side of a brick and then baked. While under construction, these carved bricks were arranged to make up the entire motif.

The Bengali style of temple is not luxurious. Rather, most are modeled on simple thatched-roof earthen huts used as dwellings by commoners. This can be attributed to the popularity of bhakti cults which taught people to view gods as close to themselves. Thus, various styles like do-chala, jor-bangla, char-chala, and aat-chala sprang up. However, there is also a popular style of building known as Navaratna (nine-towered) or Pancharatna (five-towered) in Bengal which is more luxurious than the Chala buildings. A typical example of Navaratna style is the Dakshineswar Kali Temple.

Population

Population by district

Hindus in West Bengal by district (2011)[4]
# District Total population Hindu population %
1 North 24 Parganas 10,009,781 7,352,769 73.46%
2 Barddhaman 7,717,563 6,008,472 77.85%
3 South 24 Parganas 8,161,961 5,155,545 63.17%
4 Paschim Medinipur 5,913,457 5,056,953 85.52%
5 Hugli 5,519,145 4,574,569 82.89%
6 Purba Medinipur 5,095,875 4,343,972 85.24%
7 Nadia 5,167,600 3,728,482 72.15%
8 Haora 4,850,029 3,535,844 72.90%
9 Kolkata 4,496,694 3,440,290 76.51%
10 Jalpaiguri 3,872,846 3,156,781 81.51%
11 Bankura 3,596,674 3,033,581 84.34%
12 Puruliya 2,930,115 2,373,120 80.99%
13 Murshidabad 7,103,807 2,359,061 33.21%
14 Birbhum 3,502,404 2,181,515 62.29%
15 Koch Bihar 2,819,086 2,087,766 74.06%
16 Maldah 3,988,845 1,914,352 47.99%
17 Uttar Dinajpur 3,007,134 1,482,943 49.31%
18 Darjiling 1,846,823 1,366,681 74.00%
19 Dakshin Dinajpur 1,676,276 1,232,850 73.55%
West Bengal (Total) 91,276,115 64,385,550 70.54%

Trends

Trends in Hindu population of West Bengal[5]
Census year % of total population Decadal growth
1951 78.45% NA
1961 78.80% 32.63%
1971 78.11% 25.75%
1981 76.96% 21.37%
1991 74.72% 21.09%
2001 72.47% 14.23%
2011 70.53% 10.80%

Economies and Business

The West Bengali Hindus have their mainstay in trade and business. The sub-categories like Aguris, etc., specialise in trade and industry. This ethnic minority has been home to major industrialists worldwide. Large number of West Bengali Hindus have settled outside India.

The literacy level of West Bengali Hindus in Bengal and other parts of the world is very high.

Noted West Bengali Hindu industrialists include:

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "Data on Religion". Census of India (2001). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2006.
  3. ↑ Sen, Sukumar (1999). "Dharme" [The Religion]. Banga-Bhumika [An Introduction to the History of Bengal] (in Bengali) (1st ed.). Kolkata: Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi. pp. 104–05. ISBN 81-86908-97-8.
  4. ↑ Population by religious community: West Bengal. 2011 Census of India.
  5. ↑ B.P. Syam Roy (28 September 2015). "Bengal’s topsy-turvy population growth". The Statesman.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, May 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.