Arrival of Srinivasa Acharya in Mallabhum and adoption of Vaishnavism/ মল্লভূমে শ্রীনিবাস আচার্যের আগমন ও বৈষ্ণবীয় ভাবধারার অনুবর্তন

Abstract

The role of Mallabhum region is particularly important in Bengal's literature, art and culture. The creations of this region are imprinted with the uniqueness of the soil and the people here. An important kingdom in this vast region is called Malla Rajya. Which is now known as Bishnupur. As there are all the stories of the rise and fall of the kings of this kingdom on the one hand, on the other hand the Raj Sabha of this kingdom is neglected in this Malla kingdom. But the literature written in the royal court of all those kings is a very important resource in terms of art, literature and culture of Bengal.

          Aryanization started on the soil of this region along the path of Jainism. Later Jainism, Buddhism and Brahmanism got mixed up here. Later we find Vaishnavism flourishing. However, it was Srinivasa Acharya who took Vaishnavism to an unimaginable level of expansion in the bosom of Mallabhum. Incidentally, Acharyadeva entered Malla Rajya with 120 book’s including 'Manimanjusa' and searched the city of Bishnupur in search of this huge books that was stolen. The later recovery of the books in the court of the then King Birhambir is an unprecedented event. Gradually, in the presence of Srinivasa Acharya, there was a radical change in the king's mind. Maharaja Birhambir's Vaishnava love took initiation into Vaishnava religion from Srinivasa.  As a result, all the temples that we see in today's Bishnupur city, started and flourished because of this Vaishnavism. All the kings after Birhambir became addicted and weak to Vaishnavism. So weak that during the reign of King Gopal Singha, when the enemy forces attacked, he was busy chanting the name of Kuladevta 'Madanmohan' and it was during his time that a strange rule was made that every people had to wake up and chant the name of Krishna at least once a day, otherwise he would be punished. At that time many people called it 'Gopal - sing- ar- bagar' (The compulsory worship by Gopal singha's order).

          Also various literary works were written inside and outside the Raj Sabha. We find examples of this all over the city. The direct and indirect reason for the development of the temple city of Bishnupur is the arrival and spread of Vaishnavism. However, the fact that the vast region of Mallabhum lived in a fairly integrated state is also evidenced by the many cultural activities in the region. And the biggest evidence of this is probably the case of "Shrikrishna Kirtan" by Baru Chandidas, the oldest sign of early-medieval Bengali literature, written in this vast region in 1909 AD.