Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c8.s3.43

c8.s3.43

The fourth and the last period of activity of the Eastern School is essentially a period of decline for all forms of Buddhism and revival of Hinduism. Such Buddhist images which can be safely relegated to this period are mostly Buddhist Tāntrika. Such are the Khadiravanī Tārā (I. M. No. 5618)⁴ the Lōkēśvara (I.M. No. 3794)⁵, the well preserved Mārīchīs⁶ and Ushṇīshavijayā⁷ in the collection of the Indian Museum. The period is one in which we find Buddhist Tantrism gradually blending with Hindu Tantrism. Such union gave rise to the peculiar Saiva images such as that to be found at Kagachipara⁸ near Munshiganj in the Dacca district and the Tāntrika Yantras discovered both in stone and metal in the Rangpur⁹ and Dacca¹⁰ districts.