Impact of vaishnavism in colonial and post colonial nadia

Abstract

The boundary of Nadia during 16 th century expanded to a large extent during the 17 th century newlineby the then King of Nadia Bhabananda Majumdar with the aid of the Mughal emperor newlineJahangir; this expansion of the district continued during the eighteenth century. After the newlineadvent of the British East India Company to political power in Indian atmosphere, Bengal newlinewas divided into some districts. In 1787, Nadia district was formed and Kusthia (now in newlineBangladesh) was annexed with this district. The current status and form of the district have newlinebeen incepted since 1947, after the Independence. According to Hinduism, the worshippers newlineof lord Vishnu are called the Vaishnavas. Lord Vishnu is compared with the rising, newlineculminated and the sinking phases of the Sun. In the spread of Vaishnavism, the sacred texts newlineof the Rigveda, the Upanishadas, the Dharma Samhita, the Mahabharata, the Agamastra and newlinethe Purana have played an important role. According to wider acknowledgment and newlineJoyadevas descriptions, lord Vishnu is said to have ten Avatar or incarnations as the Matsya, newlinethe Kurma, the Varaha, the Narasimha, the Vamana, Parshurama, Rama, Balarama, Buddha newlineand Kalki. The impact of Chaitanya Deva in Bengal was so far reaching that here Sri newlineChaitanya Deva used to be regarded as the incarnation of the Lord Krishna and Smt. Radha. newlineChaitanya worship also started here and he appeared in Nadia as a reformer of Vaishnavism. newlineChaitanya Deva preached Gaudiya Vaishnavism gave more importance on Radha than newlineKrishna. Following this simplified spiritual path of Sri Chaitanya Deva s Sahajiya sect of newlineVaihnavism developed in Bengal during the post-Chaitanya period. newline