The Development of Hindu Iconography c4.7

c4.7

It was the late Sir Asutosh Mookerjee who first kindly offered me facilities for studying Indian art and archaeology. I take this opportunity to dedicate my book to his sacred memory as a token of gratitude and esteem which I shall always cherish for him. I am also greatly indebted to his worthy son, Dr. Syamaprasad Mookerjee, the President of the Post-Graduate Council in Arts, for the encouragement I always received from him in my work, for which I shall remain ever grateful to him. My former teacher and the present head of my department, Dr. H. C. Raychaudhuri has taken a keen interest in my work all along and I am much obliged to him for a few suggestions of his, which I have incorporated in the first chapter. Dr. P. C. Bagchi, my esteemed friend and colleague, has laid me under deep obligation by kindly allowing me to use the manuscript copy of *Pratimāmānalakṣaṇam* which was brought by him from Nepal sometime ago. Dr. Stella Kramrisch, my distinguished colleague, kindly went through most of the book, while it was being seen through the press. Mr. S. K. Saraswati, one of my former pupils and now one of my colleagues, has obliged me with some practical suggestions in the formal get-up of the book and in other matters. I am also much indebted to Dr. N. N. Law, the learned editor of the Indian Historical Quarterly, for kindly allowing me to utilise several blocks which were prepared at his expense to illustrate two of my articles published in his Journal. I should also express my obligation to him and to the Joint Editors of the Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art for permitting me to incorporate in this volume a few of my articles published in their respective Journals. I cannot but be grateful to the different authorities of the Indian Museums, especially Calcutta and Punjab Museums, and the authorities of the British Museum, London, for kindly allowing me to reproduce a few of the coins and seals in their collection, all of which have been previously published. I shall remain thankful to Mr. J. C. Chakravorti, the Registrar of the Calcutta University, for his great help in the publication of this volume. My thanks are also due to Mr. D. Ganguly, the Superintendent of the Calcutta University Press, and the members of his staff, for the unfailing courtesy and kind attention which were shown to me while the book was going through the press.