Purulia: A mutilated Mahavira idol, its hands severed, is now smeared with vermilion and worshipped as ‘Baba Budheshwar’, a form of Shiva. A massive Mahavira statue, the embodiment of Jain principles, has been renamed the Hindu deity ‘Kalbhairav’ – in the remote villages on the western edge of West Bengal’s Purulia district, a quiet but politically motivated transformation is erasing the identity of a major historical civilisation. The remnants of a once-thriving Jain culture, which flourished here between the 10th and 12th centuries, are being systematically absorbed into the Hindu fold, their original character stripped and replaced.This region, where the Chotanagpur plateau begins, has long been recognised as a treasure trove of Jain history, predating dominant Hindu Brahmanical culture. Today, that legacy is in limbo, caught between neglect, theft, and appropriation.Historians point to the era of King Shashanka Dev, thousands of years ago, when Jain structures were first destroyed and Mahavira statues mutilated. Photo: Joydeep SarkarThe most striking example of this transformation is the fate of the statues of Lord Mahavira, the apostle of non-violence. In Pakbirra, a village that resembles an open-air museum with ancient stone slabs and pillars embedded in houses and pathways, a massive Mahavira idol now goes by the name of the Hindu god Kalbhairav.Dayamay Mahato, a local youth from Pakbirra said, “Now animal sacrifices take place here, and regular pujas are performed. Pilgrims come from far away. But since 2012, many of these ancient artifacts have been stolen. We hear they fetch high prices abroad. We villagers were busy with our lives, unaware of how religious politics was slowly taking over.”As the political tides continue to shift, in Purulia, the stones of non-violence now bear witness to rituals of blood. Photo: Joydeep SarkarThis rebranding is not new. Historians point to the era of King Shashanka Dev, thousands of years ago, when Jain structures were first destroyed and Mahavira statues mutilated. “Today, these same Mahavira figures are worshiped as ‘Kalbhairav’ or, when the faces were defaced, as ‘Khanda Rani Devi’ in villages. It’s all politically driven,” explained Madhusudan Mahato, a regional researcher of Junglemahal.The Pakbirra – Budhpur arc, 40-50 km from Purulia town, sits atop one of eastern India’s richest Jain archaeological zones (9th–12th centuries). Archaeologists have mentioned Sarak communities, longstanding Jain lay groups today concentrated in Purulia–Bankura – and link them to metalworking/forest-produce networks in the early medieval era. Some nearby tribal groups with iron traditions like Bhumij, Asur were part of the same economic landscape interacting with Jain monks. Pakbirra retains three surviving rekha-deul temples and dozens of Tirthankara sculptures. In nearby Budhpur, the ancient Jain deul (temple), architecturally distinct from Hindu temples with its rectangular brick structure, is now the Baba Budheshwar Mandir. Inside, a mutilated Mahavira idol, its hands chopped off, is smeared with vermilion and worshipped as the Shiva-like Budheshwar.“From Budhpur to Pakbirra, this was a thriving center of Jain culture. If the government sponsored more archaeological digs, many more truths would surface. Many idols of Mahavira were found with hands deliberately chopped off. A few were renamed Vishnu and placed in Hindu temples,” noted local historian Dilip Goswami.Binoy Mani, an official from the State Archaeology Department, admitted, “Pakbirra and Budhpur are identified sites. We conducted a site visit, but no formal excavation or preservation efforts have been undertaken.”Over the past decade, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate organisations have deepened their presence across Junglemahal, the forested belt that covers Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram. Photo: Joydeep SarkarThe site has gained further Hindu significance with the recent construction of a Ram Mandir within the same compound, riding the wave of nationwide fervour surrounding the Ayodhya temple.Over the past decade, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate organisations, including Ekal Vidyalaya, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, and Vidya Bharati, have deepened their presence across Junglemahal, the forested belt that covers Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram.What began as welfare work and religious education has evolved into a project of cultural homogenisation. Villages with mixed or syncretic traditions, including Jain, tribal and folk-Hindu influences, have witnessed an influx of Hanuman temples, Ram Mandirs, and saffron processions.Pakbirra retains three surviving rekha-deul temples and dozens of Tirthankara sculptures. Photo: Joydeep Sarkar“By asserting that the ancient Jain heritage is fundamentally Hindu, the RSS has already strengthened its claim that the tribal people have always been a part of the Hindu fold,” explained anthropologist Suman Nath. “This effectively uses the historical appropriation of Jainism as proof of an unbroken Hindu lineage in a region that the RSS seeks to consolidate ideologically.”What began as welfare work and religious education has evolved into a project of cultural homogenisation. Photo: Joydeep SarkarWhen contacted by The Wire, local BJP MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato said, “This is the first time I’m hearing of this issue. I’ll inquire into what has happened there.”As the political tides continue to shift, in Purulia, the stones of non-violence now bear witness to rituals of blood. Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.