Jīmūtavāhana (c. 12th century) was an Indian
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
scholar and writer of legal and religious treatises on
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
of early medieval period. He was the earliest writer on ''
smriti'' (law) from
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
whose texts are extant.
Major works
Jīmūtavāhana is known for his three major works. These three works are probably the parts of a bigger comprehensive digest, the ''Dharma Ratna''.
His ''Kalaviveka'' is an exhaustive analysis of the auspicious ''kala'' (timings) for the performance of religious rites and ceremonies. This text also contains discussions on solar and lunar months. Based on the evidence of the last of a number of exact dates examined in this text, it is assumed that the text was written soon after March, 1093.
His or or has dealt with (judicial procedure). The text is divided into five sections, ''Vyvaharamukha'', ''Bhashapada'', ''Uttarapada'', ''Kriyapada'' and ''Nirnayapada''.
His magnum opus ''
Dāyabhāga
The ''Dāyabhāga'' is a Hindu law treatise written by Jīmūtavāhana which primarily focuses on inheritance procedure. The ''Dāyabhāga'' was the strongest authority in Modern British Indian courts in the Bengal region of India, although this h ...
'' has dealt with the laws of inheritance based on ''various
Dharmashastras''. In Bengal (and post-independence West Bengal and Tripura) and Assam,
Dāyabhāga
The ''Dāyabhāga'' is a Hindu law treatise written by Jīmūtavāhana which primarily focuses on inheritance procedure. The ''Dāyabhāga'' was the strongest authority in Modern British Indian courts in the Bengal region of India, although this h ...
was the principal guide for laws on inheritance till the enactment of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. This treatise differs in some aspects from
Mitakshara, which was prevalent in other parts of India based on
Yajnavalkya Smrti. The right of a widow without any male issue to inherit the properties of her deceased husband is recognized in ''
Dāyabhāga
The ''Dāyabhāga'' is a Hindu law treatise written by Jīmūtavāhana which primarily focuses on inheritance procedure. The ''Dāyabhāga'' was the strongest authority in Modern British Indian courts in the Bengal region of India, although this h ...
''.
''Dayabhagatippani'' of Srinath Acharyachudamani (c. 16th century), ''Dayabhagatika'' of
Raghunandan Bhattacharya (16th century) and ''Dayabhagatika'' of Srikrishna Tarkalankar (18th century) are the notable commentaries written on ''Dayabhaga'' during the late medieval period.
See also
*
Dāyabhāga
The ''Dāyabhāga'' is a Hindu law treatise written by Jīmūtavāhana which primarily focuses on inheritance procedure. The ''Dāyabhāga'' was the strongest authority in Modern British Indian courts in the Bengal region of India, although this h ...
References
*Roy, Niharranjan. ''Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba'' (in Bengali), Dey’s Publishing, Kolkata, 1993, , pp. 615–616.
* Rocher, Ludo. ''Jīmūtavāhana's Dāyabhāga'', Oxford Univ Press, 2002,
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Hindu law
Sanskrit scholars from Bengal