Maṭhas in Early Medieval Bengal: A Delineation from Two Inscriptions

Abstract The Brahmanical monastic institution called maṭha was an important element of the religious landscape of early medieval Bengal. Its history from the mid-sixth century onwards can be traced in fragmentary inscriptional references. The Paschimbhag copperplate inscription and the Bangarh stone slab inscription give exceptionally rich information on the organisation of the maṭha and activities around it. The maṭha s in both inscriptions were complexes established by royal patronage and functioned as centres of worship and learning. They do, however, show some differences closely related to their different locational and social contexts. The maṭha in the Paschimbhag plate functioned as the centre of a newly-settled brāhmaṇa community in a rural area, while that in the Bangarh inscription functioned as the semi-urban residence of a lineage of Śaiva ascetics connected with a wider monastic network. This difference had implications for the later histories of their respective constituencies.