Vajjabhumi was a part of
Rarh in ancient times. It is located in what is now
Birbhum district in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. The more rugged western part of the district was known as Vajjabhumi, the country of the thunderbolt.
[O,Malley, L.S.S., ''Bengal District Gazetteers - Birbhum'', Govt. of West Bengal]
There is mention of the Rarh region in the Jain text ''
Acaranga Sutra''. The last (24th) great
Tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...
Mahavira
Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...
had wandered through this land, referred to as the "pathless country of Ladha". The people of this region are referred to as ill-mannered and dogs were set upon Mahavira.
[ Some historians have opined that the people of Aryavarta, were not knowledgeable about the areas beyond their territories and often looked down upon the people of those parts. In the religious text Bodhayan, it is mentioned that those who visited Vanga had to perform penance.][Ray, Nihar Ranjan, ''Bangalir Itihas – Adi Parva'', (Bengali), pp. 137-138, Paschim Banga Nirakharata Durikaran Samiti]
References
Geography of West Bengal
Historical Indian regions
Ancient divisions in Bengal
Birbhum district
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