Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c7.97.4

c7.97.4

To the left are the figures of a male and a female running away, evidently standing for Māra and his daughters, who are running away after their defeat by the Master. In the collection of Sārnāth sculptures in the Indian Museum at Calcutta the Earth-goddess is absent in S. 2.⁷ The figure of the Earth-goddess is to be found on a pedestal discovered at Bodh Gaya which according to the inscription on it is to be referred to the Gupta period.⁸ In this case we find one female figure, carved out in bold relief in front and holding a vase in her hands. To her left a second female is running towards her with a finger of her left hand, while the right is slightly turned upwards. This second female is undoubtedly the Earth-goddess but the female with the jar has not been properly identified as yet. There cannot be any doubt about the fact that this sculpture belongs to the Gupta period (C. 500 A.D.).¹