Digambar, the Mahanta, seems to have been truly humble, as he fairly admitted before Buchanan that his community was not very knowledgeable and that apart from “the art of begging”, the utmost stretch of science they possessed was the ability to chant some mantras (forms of prayer), which interestingly, none of them understood. Being followers of “Sankara Acharji”, their buildings were all dedicated to Shiva. Even as they denied any knowledge of the state of the island prior to the arrival of their first Mahanta, Buchanan mentioned that it was clearly evident that the place had previously been of religious sanctity since there existed vast numbers of engravings of very great antiquity which represented various personages “received by all sects of Hindus as distinguished beings, among which I observed Parasuram, Narayan and Lakshmi, Ananta sleeping on a snake, with the goose of Brahma flying over him, Krishna and Radha, Narasingha, Ganes, Hanuman, and Siva”. Below the buildings of the Sanyasis, he noticed a small temple dedicated to Parasnath, the 23rd teacher of the sect of Jains, and was informed by the Sanyasis that Baidyanath had given orders prohibiting Jain worship on his sacred rock. He interpreted that the Sanyasis had stopped the practice of Jaina worship at the site, but, however also mentioned that “Some Jains however, I am told, still come privately to this place. The temple of this sect, now standing, seems evidently to be a very modern work, the authority of the Sannyasis having probably been unable until lately to expel the heretics.”

To be continued....