Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c8.s2.64

c8.s2.64

The *Sādhanas* enumerate quite a host of minor deities such as Trailokyavijaya, Chaṇḍa-Mahāroṣaṇa, Heruka, Vajraḍāka, Saṃvara, Buddha-kapāla, Vajra-hūmkāra, Mahābala, Vajra-jvālānalārka, Paramāśva, Bhūtaḍāmara, Rakta-yamāntaka, Kṛṣṇayamāntaka, Vighnāntaka, Jambhala, Mahākāla, etc. These *Sādhanas* are to be found on folios 257-342 of the Bengal Asiatic Society's manuscript No. *Ga*. 8059. The identification of these images has already been attempted on a large scale by Mr. Bhattacharyya and in this case also his work is characterised by conformity to the classification of the Buddhist *Sādhanas*. Among emanations of Amitābha we find Mahābala, Saptaśatika Hayagrīva; among the goddesses we find Kurukullā, Bhṛkuṭī, Mahāsitavatī. Among emanations of Akṣobhya we find Chaṇḍaroṣaṇa, Heruka, Buddhakapāla, Vajraḍāka, Saṃvara, Hayagrīva, Yamāri and Jambhala. Numerous examples of Jambhala have been discovered in the eastern provinces of Northern India but by far the best and the oldest specimen was discovered at Kurikihar in the Gaya District. This specimen was presented to the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1848 and transferred later on to the Indian Museum at Calcutta. It has been wrongly described by Anderson as “A seated figure of Gaṇeśa.”¹ None of the other specimens, known to us, corresponds to the two Sādhanas quoted by Mr. Bhattacharyya. One of them was dedicated at Nālandā in the tenth century A.D. (I. M. No. 3917)². Another uninscribed specimen belongs to the ninth century A.D. (I. M. No. 3911).³ The latest specimen in the Indian Museum collection is inscribed in the secret alphabet used by the Buddhist monks of Magadha and called *bhaikshukī lipi* by Bühler.⁴ It is really a specimen of the twelfth century A.D. (I. M. No. 4571).⁵ The goddesses who are the emanations of Akshobhya are Mahāchīnatārā, Jāngulī, Ekajaṭā, Parṇśabarī, Prajñāpāramitā, Vajracharchikā, Mahāmantr-ānusāriṇī, Mahāpratyaṅgirā, Dhavajāg-rakeyūrā, Vasudhārā, Nairātmā. Among these Mr. Bhattacharyya has correctly identified the figure of a Yamāntaka from Nālandā⁶, Parṇaśabarī from the Indian Museum⁷ and from Vikrampur. A fresh identification is possible in the case of Prajñāpāramitā. Indian Museum specimen No. 3817 corresponds to the following Sādhana:—