LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 18:7 July 2018
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
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A Comparative Study About the Religion of Ancient Nepal and India
(4th Century A.D. To 8th Century A.D.) as Gleaned from the
Inscriptional Evidences

Arpita Tripathy, M.A., M. Phil.

Abstract

In this paper an attempt has been made to do a comparative study about the religion of ancient Nepal and India on the basis of inscriptional evidences. The time period is from 4th century A.D. to 8th century A.D., which is called Licchavi period in Nepal and Gupta age in India. This age is called ‘Golden Age’. At that time Vai??avism was the most popular religion in India and Saivaism was the stronger faith in Nepal. The expression Paramabhagavata is absent in the inscriptions from Nepal but present in the inscriptions from India. In Nepal the different names of Vi??u images are attached with the term svami; such as Naraya?asvami, Vamanasvami, Dolasikharasvami etc. Damodarpur Copper Plate Inscription of the time of Budhagupta says about the two deities named Kokamukhasvamin and Svetavarahasvamin. The first one probably the name of Siva and the later was in all probability the image of the boar incarnation of Vi??u. Vi??u’s dwarf incarnation was popular in Nepal and in India. Vedavyasa was probably regularly worshipped in Nepal but he was present in Gupta inscriptions as the composer of the traditional verses not as a deity. The different names of Siva are known from the inscriptions of Nepal. Bhadresvara, Bh??garesvara, Bhuvanesvara are some of them. Such practice was prevailed in India also. Nirmand Copper Plate Inscription of Samudragupta refers his name as Mihiresvara. There were different sects of Pasupata-s in Nepal. It is revealed from the inscriptional evidences that there was no conflict between Saivaism and Vai??avism in Nepal and in India also.

In Nepal and in India Buddhism was served by the rulers who were the devotees of other religions. The Nepal inscriptions informs about lot of vihara-s: Manavihara, Sivadevavihara, Srimanvihara etc. Gupta inscriptions and Nepal inscriptions both talk about ?rya- vik?u sa?gha and ?rya- vik?u?i sa?gha. There is no instance of Jainism in Nepal inscriptions whereas plenty of instances available from Gupta inscriptions. Worship of Sun God, Sakti, and Mat?ka-s were popular in Nepal and in India.

Although the Gupta kings were the staunch followers of the Vai??avism and Saiva –faith was the personal faith of the Nepal rulers, they gave equal respect to other gods and goddesses. A?suvarma was a Saiva king but he did not ignore the Vai??avite gods. In his Harigaon Inscription dated 608 A.D. he gives due donations to Dolasikharasvamin, Narasi?hadeva, Bhumbhukkika, Jalasayanasvamin. The Udayagiri Cave Inscription61 is a Saiva inscription and it records that Sava Virasena, Chandragupta’s minister of peace and war excavated a cave to serve it as a sanctuary of the god Sambhu.

Keywords: Vai??avism, Saivaism, Pasupata-s, 4th century, Nepal, India, Religions.

Hindu Rulers of Nepal and India

Like the rulers of Nepal during 4th-8th century A.D., Gupta rulers are mostly Hindus and worshippers of Vi??u and Siva. Hinduism restored in this period both in Nepal and in India.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Arpita Tripathy, M.A., M. Phil.
Assistant Professor
Department of Sanskrit
Debra Thana S.K.S. Mahavidyalaya (Vidyasagar University)
West Bengal, India

Residential address: c/o- Badal Maity, vill-Alisahagarh, P.O. Debra Bazar, West Midnapur, 721425, West Bengal, India
arpitaxy@gmail.com

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