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Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c9: Chapter VI. The Orthodox or Brahmanical Pantheon

Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c9

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Contents

Chapter VI. The Orthodox or Brahmanical Pantheon

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The images of the orthodox pantheon turned out by the artists of the Bengal School may be divided into three sections:-- I. Vaishṇava images. II. Śaiva images. III. Images of miscellaneous deities.

I. Vaishṇava Images

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Throughout the length of the dominions of the Pālas, *i.e.*, throughout the modern provinces of Bengal and Bihar and part of the United Provinces, images of the various forms of Vishṇu have been found in very large numbers. In fact, they out-number any other class of images that have been found. It may be said with confidence that the representations of the standing four-armed Vishṇu and the phallic emblem of Śiva were more popular than any other image, whether of the orthodox or of the heterodox pantheons.

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The following statements are based on that excellent little pamphlet in Bengali from the pen of Pandit Vinod Vihārī Vidyāvinōda published by the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad in B.S. 1317=1909 A.D.¹

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¹ This book has since been revised and enlarged and published in English. *Memoirs of the Archæological Survey of India, No. 2. "Varieties of the Vishṇu image."*

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It appears from:--
(1) The *Agnipurāṇa*.
(2) The *Padmapurāṇa*, and
(3) Hēmādri's *Chaturvarga-chintāmaṇi-Vratakhaṇḍa* that twenty-four different forms of Vishṇu were recognised, namely:--
(1) Vāsudēva, (2) Nārāyaṇa (3) Mādhava, (4) Purushōttama, (5) Adhōk-shaja, (6) Saṅkarshaṇa, (7) Gōvinda, (8) Vishṇu, (9) Madhusūdana (10) Achyuta, (11) Upēndra, (12) Pradyumna, (13) Trivikrama, (14) Vāmana, (15) Śrīdhara, (16) Narasiṁha, (17) Janārddana, (18) Aniruddha, (19) Hṛishīkēśa, (20) Padmanābha, (21) Dāmōdara, (22) Hari, (23) Kēśava and (24) Kṛishṇa.

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These images vary in the order in which the four hands hold the usual attributes, and the twenty-four forms stand for the twenty-four different combinations of (1) the conch (*śaṅkha*), (2) wheel (*chakra*), (3) mace (*gadā*), and (4) lotus (*padma*). In one place at least a whole set of these twenty-four images seems to have been dedicated by somebody. Mr. Cousens found seventeen of them inside a temple at Māndhāta in the Central Provinces.¹ Out of these images Vāsudeva, Saṅkarshaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are objects of special worship.²

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¹ *Progress Rep. of the Arch. Surv. of Western India, 1893-94, p. 3.*

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² *Viṣṇu-mūrtti-parichaya, p. 13.*

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I. Vāsudeva.—(*a*) Seated on the king of birds (*garuḍa*) with four hands, holding a mace (*gadā*) in his upper right hand and a lotus in the lower; a discus (*chakra*) in the upper left hand and a conch (*śaṅkha*) in the lower. He also holds a quiver (*tūṇīra*) in his left arm-pit.—*Sabdakalpadruma* quoting *Kālīkapurāṇa*, Ch. 82.

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(*b*) Holding a lotus in the upper right hand, a mace in the lower right, a conch in the upper left hand and a wheel in the lower.—*Sabdakalpadruma* quoting *Kālīkapurāṇa*.

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(*c*) Holding a conch and a lotus in the right hands and a mace and a wheel in the left.—*Padmapurāṇa*, Ch. 86.

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(*d*) A Vāsudeva with two hands is described in the *Agnipurāṇa*, according to which he holds a conch in one hand, while the other is in the posture of blessing (*varada*).—*Agnipurāṇa*, Ch. 49.

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II. Saṅkarshaṇa.—Hēmādri in his *Vratakhaṇḍa* gives a description of Saṅkarshaṇa. He is white in colour. His image should be made on the model of Vāsudeva, substituting a musala in the place of the wheel and a plough (*lāṅgala*) in that of the mace.

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III. Pradyumna.—(*a*) With four hands, holding a thunder-bolt (*vajra*), and a conch in the right hands and a bow (*dhanuḥ*) and mace in left hands.—*Agnipurāṇa*, 49, 12.

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(*b*) With two hands, holding a bow and an arrow.—*Agnipurāṇa*, 49, 13.

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IV. Aniruddha.—With two (?) hands, holding a shield (*charmma*), and a sword (*asi*) in the place of the wheel and the mace. Perhaps the image was made with four hands, the remaining hands holding the conch and lotus.

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Besides those already enumerated, Pandit Vinōd Vihārī Vidyāvinōda has enumerated and described several special forms of Viṣṇu, of which one or two might be mentioned here. One such form is Trailōkyamōhana Viṣṇu. In this form Viṣṇu is seated on *garuḍa*, has eight hands and holds a wheel (*chakra*), sword (*khaḍga*), staff (*musala*) and elephant-prod (*aṅkuśa*) in his right hands, while in his left hands he holds a conch, a bow, a mace and a snare (*pāśa*). Another form is called Hariśaṅkara. It has four faces and twenty hands, holding (1) hammer (mudgara), (2) snare (pāśa), (3) śakti, (4) śūla, (5) arrow (sara), (6) conch, (7) bow, (8) mace, (9) snare, (10) tomara, (11) plough (lāṅgala), (12) battle-axe (paraśu), (13) staff (daṇḍa), (14) knife (chhurikā), (15) shield (charmma), (16) sling (kṣepaṇa), (17) lance (śūla), (18) riṣṭi (double-bladed sword), (19) mace and (20) wheel.

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On examination it has been found that the majority of images of Viṣṇu found in Bengal or Bihar are representations of Vāsudeva, holding a mace in the upper right hand and a lotus in the lower, while the upper left hand holds the wheel and the lower one, the conch. In the illustrations the different provinces have been represented:—

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(1) I. M. No. 6078 from Lalbagh, Murshidabad District, (Western Bengal)¹
(2) Image from Swamibagh, Dacca City (Eastern Bengal).²
(3) Image from Bān Rāja’s Garh, Dinajpore, I. M. No. N. S. 2245 (Northern Bengal).³
(4) I. M. No. N. S. 2085, from Jaynagar (Munger District).⁴
(5) Image of Viṣṇu found at Gorakhpur (Northern Bihar).⁵
(6) A large image of Viṣṇu on Garuḍa from Deora in the Bogra District, in the Rajshahi Museum (Northern Bengal).⁶
(7) Image found in the Sunderbans, in Southern Bengal.⁷
(8) Inscribed image discovered by Mr. Nalini Kanta Bhattasali at Kewar in the Comilla District, belonging to the third period of activity of the Eastern School (Eastern Bengal).

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¹ *Pl. XLIV a.*

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² *Pl. XLIII b.*

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³ *Pl. XLIII d.*

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⁴ *Pl. XLIII c.*

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⁵ *Pl. XLIII a.*

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⁶ *A Catalogue of Archæological Relics in the Museum of the Varendra Research Society, p. 17, No. E (a) 1. See pl. XLIV b.*

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⁷ *Catalogue and Handbook, pt. II, pp. 243-46. Pl. XLIV c.*

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On some of the images of Viṣṇu we find representations of his ten incarnations on the blackslab. Separate representations of the ten incarnations are by no means rare. In some of these, however, the figure of Buddha is suppressed, no doubt, on account of ill-feeling among the sects. This is to be found in an image of the ten avatāras at Konch in the Gaya District.⁸ Separate images of the incarnations are also to be found in this school. Separate images of the fish and the tortoise incarnations are rather rare. An image of the fish incarnation of great artistic merit and belonging to the 9th century A. D. was discovered recently at Bajrajogini in the Dacca District and is still worshipped at that place. The Indian Museum collection contains three classes:—

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⁸ *Ann. Rep. Arch. Survey, Bengal Circle, 1901-02, p. 13.*

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(1) Varāha.—A colossal image of the Boar incarnation is to be found close to the entrance.⁹ It was found in the ruins of Nālandā and brought to Bihar by Broadley, whence it was removed to Calcutta. The Matsyapurāṇa gives the following description of the Varāha :—

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⁹ This specimen has now been removed to the southern verandah of the main building of the Indian Museum, ground floor. See pl. XLV c.

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Mahāvarāhaṃ vakṣyāmi padmahastaṃ gadādharam tīkṣṇa-daṃṣṭra-agra-ghō-
ṇāsyaṃ mēdinī vāma-kurparē, 28.
Daṃṣṭr-āgrēṇ-ōddhṛitāṃ dāntāṃ dharaṇīm=utpalānvitāṃ vismay-ōtphulla-
vadanām=upariṣṭāt=prakalpayēt, 29.
Dakṣiṇaṃ kaṭisaṃsthaṃ tu karaṃ tasya prakalpayēt
Kūrmōpari tathā pādam=ekaṃ nāgendra-mūrdhani, 30
—Matsyapurāṇa, Ch. 260.

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In the Nālandā image the left foot of the Boar is placed on a lotus held in the hands of the Nāga, while in the Purāṇa it is stated that one foot is placed on his head. To the left appears a figure of a Nāgī. Varāha has four hands.

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Images of the Boar incarnation are rather common in Bengal and Bihar and the best specimens from Bengal are preserved in the Museums of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad in Calcutta and that of the Varendra Research Society at Rajshahi. Among the smaller specimens the best examples came from Jhillī¹ and Chandpara² in the Murshidabad District, and one from Burdwan.³ In the specimen found at Jhillī in the Murshidabad District of Bengal we find the ancient headdress of Bengal on the head of the main figure. In other details it is exactly similar to the image in the Indian Museum, but between the feet of the main figure we find a miniature female figure in front of a boar. This represents the Earth being rescued by the Boar from the bottom of the primæval Ocean.⁴

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¹ See pl. XLV e.

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² Pl. XLV d.

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³ Pl. XLV b.

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⁴ Catalogue of the Archæological Relics in the Museum of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad, pp. 67-68.

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In their representations of the Boar incarnation of Viṣṇu, the artists of the Eastern School have followed only one model of the Gupta Schools. In the latter the boar is represented in two different ways. In the first model, a four-footed realistic pachyderm bears on its body the gods and the demi-gods; such are the famous images of Eran and Bilhari⁵ in the Central Provinces, and Khoh⁶ in the Nagod State in Central India. In the second form we find a human being with a Boar's head as at Udayagiri Cave near Bhilsa in the Gwalior State and at Badami,⁷ in the Bijapur District of Bombay This type has been followed in north eastern India.

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⁵ Memoirs of the Archæological Survey, No. 23, pl. XXXVII (b).

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⁶ Ann. Prog. Rep. of the Arch. Survey of India, Western Circle, for the year ending 31st March 1920, pl. XXIX.

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⁷ Memoirs Archl. Survey, No. 25, pl. IX (b) and XVII (b).

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(2) Narasimha.—The Man-lion. According to the Matsyapurāṇa, Narasimha has eight hands.

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Nārasiṃhaṃ tu kartavyaṃ bhuj-āṣṭaka-samanvitam, 31.
Raudraṃ siṃhāsanaṃ tad-vidārita-mukh-ekṣaṇaṃ
Stabdha-pīna-saṭā-karṇaṃ dārayantaṃ ditēḥ sutam, 32
—Matsyapurāṇa, Ch. 260.

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In the only specimen in the Indian Museum we find four hands. Hiraṇyakaśipu, the son of Diti, is placed on the left thigh and the god is tearing his bowels with two hands. To his right we find Lakshmī standing with a lotus in her left hand and a fly-whisk in her right.¹

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¹ Supplementary Catalogue, p. 84 (No. 3901). See pl. XLVI c.

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In the specimen seen by Mr. K. N. Dikshit at Paikor in the Birbhum District we find the demon king hanging to the nails of the Man-lion.² The specimen from Rampal in the Dacca District is exactly similar.³ But another specimen at Dalalpara in the same place bears the head of the demon on the right knee.

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² See pl. XLVI b.

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³ Pl. XLVI d.

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(3) Vāmana.—The Dwarf Incarnation. In the Indian Museum specimen we find the god with four hands. One foot is lifted upwards to cover the heaven. The deity holds a mace in the upper right hand and a wheel in the left, while the lower right is placed on the thigh, and the lower left hand holds a conch. On the pedestal we find a horse tied to a yūpa. A small basrelief is placed above the pedestal. Here we find the Dwarf confronting the king Bali, who holds a vase in his right hand, from which he appears to be pouring out water, thus bestowing the three worlds on the Dwarf. To Bali's left stands a male. This is apparently his priest trying to dissuade him by holding his left hand. Behind them stands a smaller male figure holding an umbrella over the head of the king.⁴ This image represents the Trivikrama form of the Dwarf incarnation, which is so common at Badami in the Bijapur District of Bombay.⁵ A specimen from Joradeul⁶ in the Dacca District is exactly similar. The Dwarf pure and simple is rather rare.⁷

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⁴ Ibid, No. 3897. pl. XLVII d.

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⁵ See Memoirs, A. S. No. 25, pp. 17—19, 31—32, pl. IX (a) and XVI (a) and (b).

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⁶ See pl. XLVII c.

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⁷ See pl. XLVII a.

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Difference of opinion between the Indian religious sects was not confined to that between orthodoxy and heterodoxy; it spread between orthodox sects also. Thus we have a new class of images in which we find Śiva and Durgā on one side and Viṣṇu with Lakshmī on the other. These images are very rare, and the Indian Museum possesses only two of them.⁸ In some other images Śiva and Viṣṇu are combined, such images being known as those of Harihara. Descriptions of Harihara are to be found in the Tantrasāra and the Śabdakalpadruma :—

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⁸ Supplementary Catalogue, p. 87.

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(1) Śūlaṁ chakraṁ pāñchajanyaṁ=abhītiṁ dadhataṁ karaiḥ Sva-sva-bhūshāch-chha-lilārdha-dehaṁ Hariharaṁ bhaje. —Tantrasāra.

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(2) Sārdhaṁ trinetraṁ kamal-āhi-kuṇḍalaṁ jaṭāmahābhāra-śiroja-maṇḍitaṁ Hariṁ Harañ=cha=iva nagendra-bhūshaṇaṁ pītājin-āchchhanna-kaṭi-pradeśakam. Chakr-āsi-hastaṁ dhanuḥ-śārṅgapāṇiṁ pināka-śūl-ājagavānvitañ=cha

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*Kandarppa-khaṭvāṅga-kapāla-ghaṇṭā-sa-śaṅkha-chakr-ābja-dharam maharṣē*
—*Vāmanapurāṇa*, Ch. 59, quoted in the *Śabdakalpadruma*.

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The images in the Indian Museum agree with the description given in the *Tantrasāra*. Half of the head-dress consists of matted hair, while on the other half is a crown. The upper right hand holds a lance (*śūla*), while the other is in the *abhaya-mudrā*. The left hands hold a wheel and a conch.¹ A similar description of Harihara images is to be found in the 260th chapter of the *Matsyapurāṇa*.

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¹ *Ibid*, p. 85, Nos. 3856-A, 3856-B, 3969. Out of these only 3856-B is known to have come from Bihar. See pl. LII d.

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The section on the images of Viṣṇu cannot be completed without a reference to certain peculiar forms of the images of this deity. These images fall into two different classes. In the first class may be placed images of Viṣṇu, carved in the round, but placed on the back of Garuḍa. The best preserved specimen of this kind is the colossal image belonging to the collection of the Varendra Research Society of Rajshahi, a very imperfect representation of which has been published in the catalogue of that Museum issued in 1919.² In this image we see Garuḍa as a human figure kneeling down on a lotus but with two wings. Viṣṇu is seated on his back, but cross-legged. The style of carving of this specimen leaves no doubt about the fact that it belongs to the fourth or the last period of the artistic activity of the Eastern School of Mediæval Sculpture. This particular position of Viṣṇu is indeed remarkable and shows that in the fourth period the artists of Bengal had allowed conventional rules to override their innate sense of naturalism; the artists of Magadha however, adhered to nature in representing this particular form of Viṣṇu. For example, in Ms. 13,³ the find-spot of which is unknown, we find that Garuḍa is represented as squatting on the ground, but holding Viṣṇu on his shoulders as one man carries another. Garuḍa is represented as a dwarf with wings and two hands and Viṣṇu rests his feet on the hands of Garuḍa. The legs of Garuḍa are however bent and placed in a quite unnatural position, with the exception of which the image might be passed as one of the best examples of naturalism followed by the artists of the Eastern School of Mediæval Sculpture. In the Rajshahi image, however, the position, in which Viṣṇu is seated is quite impossible in nature.

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² *A Catalogue of the Archæological relics in the Museum of the Varēndra Research Society*, p. 17, No. E (a) 1. I am indebted to Mr. Percy Brown, A.R.C.A., of the Calcutta School of Arts for a photograph of this image. See pl. XLIV-b.

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³ *Catalogue and Handbook*, Part II, p. 340; see pl. XLVIII a.

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In the second specimen, which comes from the Broadley collection of Bihar, we find Garuḍa represented as a *suparṇa* proper, that is, a bird with a human head (No. 4012).⁴ Viṣṇu is seated on the back of this figure with his legs on the ground; two of his hands are placed on the head of a kneeling male and a female on either side. The remaining two hands hold the wheel and the conch. The specimen described before belongs to the first and best period of the activity of the Eastern School, while the second must be referred to the following or the second period. Such images of Viṣṇu were also found in decorative motifs. The Indian Museum possesses a very fine specimen of an image of Viṣṇu, seated on Garuḍa, inside a medallion, which occupies the centre of a fine *chaitya*-window. The *chaitya*-window, in this case, is so beautiful that one may be misled to take it to be a specimen of the later Gupta sculpture. But the figure of Viṣṇu leaves no doubt that this specimen also belongs to the second period of the activity of the Eastern School. Here we find Viṣṇu seated on the back of Garuḍa, holding a mace in the upper right hand while the lower is in the posture of blessing; a snake appears in the upper left hand while the lower one is broken. A snake in the hand of Viṣṇu is very uncommon. We find a snake around the neck of Garuḍa in the specimen described above. In this case Garuḍa is also represented as a man with wings. The edge of the *chaitya*-window is beaded like the specimens discovered at Bhumra¹ in the Nagod State of Central India (No. 4180).²

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⁴ *Supplementary Catalogue*, p. 82, see pl. XLVIII c.

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¹ *Memoirs of the Archæological Survey, No. 16, pls. XIII-XIV.*

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² *See pl. XCIII d.*

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In the second class are to be placed a species of bas-reliefs which are found in the eastern provinces of Northern India only. These bas-reliefs, without doubt, represent the birth of Kṛṣṇa. They are found in large numbers in the Gaya District, but specimens have been found all over Bengal. The earliest specimens of this class are to be found in the compound wall of the holy temple of the Footprint of Viṣṇu at Gaya, commonly called the temple of the Viṣṇupāda. In this specimen we find a female lying on a bedstead under which are placed several vases and covers of food. The feet of the female are placed against an expanded lotus, while on the back slab are to be found Brahmā seated on a lotus, the phallic emblem of Śiva, with his *vāhana*, the bull-couchant, etc. This specimen belongs to the third period of the activity of the Eastern School.³ The majority of specimens discovered in Northern Bengal belong to the fourth period; such is the case with the beautiful bas-relief in the Indian Museum discovered among the ruins of the Hindu and Buddhist city of Gaur. Here, also, we find a female lying on a beautifully carved four-poster bed, with a female attendant shampooing her feet and a child lying close to her breast. On the back slab we find Brahmā, the nine planets, another male deity and the phallic emblem of Śiva, arranged in a line on a bracket. On the right and left a female stands with a garland and a fly-whisk, on separate lotus-brackets. Below the bedstead we find a lamp of peculiar form used in the 11th and 12th centuries,⁴ a specimen of which was discovered at Naihati in the Burdwan District along with a copper-plate of the 11th year of king Ballālasena of Bengal; a pair of slippers (*pādukā*) two bowls containing food, a casket of scent or unguents, a mass of flowers and a lamp-stand.⁵ To this class also belong eight specimens in the collection of the Varendra Research Society, the best of which belongs to the same date as the specimen in the Indian Museum. In the catalogue, these bas-reliefs are called "Images of mother and child." The find-spots noted in the catalogue show that the majority of the specimens were found in the Rajshahi District, two only coming from Bogra.¹ In the specimen discovered at Manda in the Rajshahi District, which was carved as an image proper with a tenon at the proper right end and with a tapering back-slab, we find a lady lying on a four-poster bed with a female attendant shampooing her feet, while another stands at the head of the bed, fanning her with a fly-whisk. Certain indistinct objects described as ceremonial articles of worship are to be found under the bed, and on the back slab we find, from the left, the linga, a figure of Gaṇeśa and that of Brahmā. The child, as in the two previous cases, lies close to the breast of the main figure.² A much earlier image of the same type can be seen in the courtyard of the Viṣṇupāda temple at Gaya.³

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³ *See pl. L c.*

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⁴ *A similar lamp is described below in Ch. VI. See pl. LXXIII a.*

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⁵ *Catalogue and Handbook, Part II, pp. 54-55. See pl. L a.*

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¹ A Catalogue of the Archæological relics in the Museum of the Varendra Research Society, Rajshahi, p. 29.

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² Ibid, plate without number at the end. See pl. XLIX b.

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³ See pl. L b.

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The Museum of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad contains a very small crude specimen discovered in the Dinajpur District, in which the same characteristics are to be found. The constant features in this class of bas-reliefs are:—

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(1) A female lying on a bedstead,
(2) A child close to her breast,
(3) Certain offerings under the bed,
(4) One or two female attendants and
(5) Figures of some of the gods on the back slab.

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In this particular case we find a female attendant shampooing her feet and a linga and figures of Gaṇeśa and one other deity on the back slab, another attendant figurine at the foot of the bed and a pot of food with a casket or box under the bedstead.⁴ A very fine specimen of the tenth century discovered at Dinajpur belongs to the collection of Mr. P. C. Nahar of Calcutta.⁵

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⁴ Handbook to the sculptures in the Museum of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad, pp. 89-90. See pl. L d.

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⁵ See pl. L c.

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There can be very little doubt about the identity of these figures, which represent the birth of Kṛṣṇa though some people think that the scene represents the birth of Śiva. In the representation of this incident, the artists of the Eastern School were very greatly influenced by the traditional treatment of the birth of Buddha. This is very evident in the illustration published in the Catalogue of the Rajshahi Museum where we find a tenon on the proper right side of the slab. If it were fixed on this tenon, this bas-relief would have represented a lady standing on a lotus and a child issuing out of her proper left side, as we find in bas-reliefs of most of the schools of Indian Sculpture, representing the birth of the infant Bodhisattva. We find a corroboration of this statement in the bas-relief in the compound of Viṣṇupāda Temple where we also find a lotus under the foot of the main figure. Certain specimens added to the Dacca Museum prove that wood was commonly used in architecture in Eastern Bengal. Such specimens were finely carved and are much earlier than the ordinary run of images discovered in Eastern Bengal.

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A fine large bracket capital of wood was discovered at Sonarang and it bears a niche with a seated figure of Badari-Nārāyaṇa.¹ The second wooden specimen is a fine image of Viṣṇu discovered at Muradnagar in the Tippera district.²

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¹ See pl. XLV. a.

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² See pl. XLVII b.

II. Śaiva Images

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The most popular symbol of Śiva is the *phallus* or the *liṅga*, but his images are not uncommon. In the first place we may mention the four-armed form with one head only. Here we find a mace (?) in the upper right hand and the lower hand in the posture of blessing, while the left hands hold a trident (*triśūla*) and *ḍamaru*. We find a *preta* standing to the right and the four armed type of Pārvatī to the left, while the bull is always present (No. 3851).³ An image of this particular type was discovered at Kashipur in the Bakarganj District.⁴ Another form is that of Śiva in the *tāṇḍava* dance; this also known as Naṭarāja or Naṭeśa. The Varendra Research Society⁵ and the Dacca Museum⁶ both possess specimens. The type is very common in Orissa, where we find Śiva with ten hands dancing.⁷ Another form of Śiva with ten hands is to be found in the seals of the copper-plate grants of the Sena kings of Bengal. In one grant it is mentioned as "the seal of Sadāśiva" (Sadāśiva mudrā).⁸ We find a description of Sadāśiva in the *Mahānirvvāṇa-tantra* :-

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³ *Supplementary Catalogue*, pp. 85-86. See pl LIII. b for a similar image in the Indian Museum, No. 3832.

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⁴ See pl. LII b.

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⁵ A *Catalogue of Archæological relics in the Museum of the Varendra Research Society*, p. 11, No. (C(e))/75. See pl. LII a.

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⁶ See pl. LII-c.

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⁷ Three specimens were added to the Indian Museum in 1912 mostly from the Puri district.

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⁸ See pl. LIV f.

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*Dhyāyēt Sadāśivaṁ śāntaṁ candrakōṭi-samaprabham,*
*Vyāghra-charmma-paridhānaṁ nāga-yajñōpavītinaṁ,*
*Vibhūti-lipta-sarvvāṅgaṁ nāgālaṅkāra-bhūṣitam,*
*Dhūmra-pīt-āruṇa-śveta-raktaiḥ pañcabhir-ānanaiḥ,*
*Yuktaṁ trinayanaṁ vibhraj-jaṭājūṭa-dharaṁ vibhum,*
*Gaṅgādharamaṁ daśabhujaṁ śaśi-śobhita-mastakam,*
*Kapālaṁ pāvakaṁ pāśaṁ pinākaṁ paraśuṁ karaiḥ,*
*Vāmair-dadahānaṁ dakṣaiś-cha śūlam*
*vajr-āṅkuśaṁ śaram.*
—*Mahānirvvāṇa-tantra*, 14th ullāsa, 32—35.

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A new image added to the collection of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Pariṣad from Krishnanagar in the Nadia District also possesses ten arms, but the attributes do not agree. The presence of the bull on the pedestal indicates its nature. The main figure is seated with crossed legs. Three out of the five faces are shown in the image of which one is bearded. We find the following attributes in the hands¹ :—

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¹ *Handbook to the Sculptures in the Museum of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Pariṣad*, pp. 70-71; No. G (a) 1 / 379; See pl. LIV a.

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*Right hands.*

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1. Trident (*triśūla*).
2. Mace (*gadā*).
3. Musala.
4. Posture of blessing (*varada-mudrā*)
5. Posture of protection (*abhaya-mudrā*).

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*Left hands.*

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1. A curious emblem resembling a branch of a tree.
2. *Ḍamaru*.
3. Indistinct.
4. Rosary (*akṣasūtra*).
5. A cup with sweets (*mōdaka*).

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There are three images of this type in the Museum at Rajshahi, two of which are from Dinajpur and one from the Rajshahi District.²

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² *Catalogue etc.*, pp. 8-9, C (b) 1 / 235 (Pl. LIV g.) from Shahpur in the Rajshahi District, C (b) 2 / 180 from Jaminkarai (see pl. LIV e.) and C (b) 3 / 160 from Khiratta in the Dinajpur District.

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Special forms of Śiva have been discovered in different parts of North-Eastern India from time to time. The Dacca Museum possesses a large number of them. Such is the image of Virūpākṣa recovered from Rāmpāl. The god stands in the position of an archer (*pratyālīḍha*) with eight hands, holding a sword, a noose, or *ḍamaru* and a trident in the left hands, a shield, a bow, a skull cup and a bell (*ghaṇṭā*) in the right hands. He stands on the heads of two prostrate human figures.³ Bhairava is another form of Śiva but at times he is regarded as an emanation or an attendant of Śiva. A fine image of Bhairava belongs to the collection of Mr. P. C. Nahar of Azimganj. It was discovered in the Dinajpur District. The god stands in the *pratyālīḍha* posture with four hands on a severed human head.⁴ The Rajshahi Museum possesses several badly preserved or broken specimens.⁵

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³ See pl. LIII a.

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⁴ See pl. LV c.

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⁵ *Catalogue of the Archæological relics, etc.*, p. 12.

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The most popular form of Śiva is his phallic emblem (*liṅga*). This falls into four different classes :—

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I. The plain *liṅga* with *yoni* or *arghapaṭṭa* which is naturalistic in the older Schools of Sculpture, specially in that of Mathurā, but which has gradually become a plain cylinder in the Bengal School with a circular projecting platform around its middle.

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II. The *Ēkamukha*, in which one human face is added to the cylinder.⁶

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⁶ *Ibid*, p. 7, No. C (a) 1 / 82 from Madariganj; District Rajshahi. See pl. LI b Another from Mangalkot, District Burdwan, *pt. LI a*.

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III. The *Chaturmukha*, in which four faces are placed around the cylinder. (No. 3829).¹ A *Chaturmukha linga* is mentioned in the Bodh Gaya inscription of Dharmapāla.²

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¹ *Supplementary Catalogue*, p 83. See Pl. LI c.

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² J. A. S. B. (N. S.), Vol. IV., p. 103.

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IV. The *Pañchamukha*, in which five heads are grouped around the cylinder.

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In an unique bronze specimen in the Indian Museum collection we find that there is a stand on which in the centre of a square platform is a *liṅga*. On the sides we find (1) a Snake, (2) a pair of human feet, (3) a bull and (4) a human figure. In a peculiar *liṅga* discovered by Mr. K. N. Dikshit at Unakoṭi in the Tippera State we find four separate human figures in relief against the sides of the *phallus*.

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In the Śaiva class of images two varieties predominate—those of Śiva and of his consort, Gaurī or Pārvatī. Between them we find an intermediate class, in which the two are combined. The complete union is to be found in the Arddha-Nārīśvara, which is half male and half female. Such images are very rare and I know only of one, which is in the collection of the Varendra Research Society.³ Here both hands are broken and the headdress is half *jaṭā* and half *mukuṭa*. A complete description will be found in the *Matsyapurāṇa*:—

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³ A *Catalogue of Archæological relics*, etc., p. 9. No. 95. See pl. LVI b.

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*Īś-ārddhē tu jaṭābhāgō bālēndu-kalayā yutaḥ*
*Um-ārddhē ch-āpi dātavyau sīmanta-tilakāv-ubhau*
*Vāsukiṁ dakṣiṇē karṇṇē vāmē kuṇḍalam-ādiśet*
*Bālikā ch-opariṣṭāt-tu kapālaṁ dakṣiṇē karē.*
*Triśūlaṁ v-āpi kartavyaṁ dēvadēvasya śūlinaḥ*
*Vāmatō darpaṇaṁ dadyād-utpalaṁ cha viśēṣataḥ.*
*Vāma-bāhuś-cha kartavyaḥ kēyūra-valay-ānvitaḥ*
*Upavītaṁ cha kartavyaṁ maṇimuktāmayaṁ tathā.*
*Stana-bhāraṁ tatk-ārddhē tu vāmē pītaṁ prakalpayēt.*
*Har-ārddham-ujjvalaṁ kuryāt śroṇy-arddhān-tu tath-aiva cha*
*Liṅg-ārddham-ūrddhvagamaṁ kuryāt vyāl-ājina-kṛitāmbaraṁ*
*Vāmē lamba-paridhānaṁ kaṭisūtra-tray-ānvitam.*
*Nānā-ratna-samōpētaṁ dakṣiṇaṁ bhujagānvitam*
*Dēvasya dakṣiṇaṁ pādaṁ padmōpari susamsthitaṁ.*
*Kiñchid-ūrddhvaṁ tathā vāmaṁ bhūshitaṁ nūpurēṇa tu*
*Ratnair-vibhūshitān=kuryād=aṅgulīyakān.*
—*Matsyapurāṇa*, chap. 260, 2-9.

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The most popular form of the combination of Śiva and Pārvatī is that in which Śiva is seated with Pārvatī on his lap. Such images are found in all parts of the Eastern provinces. The accompanying illustrations show five specimens; one stone image from Bihar⁴, one from North⁵, one from East⁶ and one from South Western Bengal¹ as well as a bronze image from Northern Bengal.² The following description of these images is found in the Matsyapurāṇa :--

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⁴ See pl. LV a.

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⁵ See pl. LV b.

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⁶ See pl. LIV d.

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¹ Pl. LV d.

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² See pl. LXXI b.

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*Chaturbhujaṃ dvibāhuṃ vā jaṭābhār-endu-bhūshitam*
*Lochana-traya-samyuktam-Um-aika-skandha-pāṇinam.*
*Dakshiṇen-ōtpalaṃ śūlaṃ vāmē kuchabharē karam*
*Dvīpi-charma-parīdhānaṃ nānāratn-ōpaśobhitam*
*Supratishṭhaṃ suvēśam cha tath-ārddh-endu-kṛit-āsanam*
*Vāmē tu samsthita dēvī tasy-ōrau bāhu gūhitā.*
*Śirōbhūshaṇa-samyuktair-alakair-lalitānanā.*
*Sa-bālikā-karṇavatī-lalāṭa-tilak-ōjjvalā*
*Maṇi-kuṇḍala-samyuktā karṇik-ābharaṇā kvacit.*
*Hāra-kēyūra-vahulā Hara-vaktr-āvalōkinī*
*Vām-āṃsaṃ dēvadēvasya spṛiśantī līlayā tataḥ*
*Dakshiṇaṃ tu bahiḥ kṛitvā bāhum dakshiṇatas-tathā.*
*Skandhē vā dakshiṇē kukshau spṛiśanty-aṅgulijaiḥ kvacit*
*Vāmē tu darpaṇaṃ dadyād-utpalaṃ vā suśobhanam.*
—*Matsyapurāṇa*, ch. 260, 12-19.

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The attributes are not distinguishable in the metal images owing to corrosion, but in the image from Bihar we find that Śiva has four hands. He holds a trident (*triśūla*) in one right hand, while the other touches Pārvatī's chin. One of the left hands grasps the breast of the goddess, while the second is held aloft. Pārvatī encircles Śiva's neck with her right hand, while she holds a mirror (*darpaṇa*) in her left. There is a similar image in the collection of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad, on the pedestal of which, we find a dancing *preta* between the *vāhanas* of Śiva and Durgā, the lion and the bull.³

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³ Handbook, etc., pp. 71-72 (G(b) 1)/361.

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Besides this class a new one has come to light during the last two years. One of these is in the collection of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad and the other in that of the Varendra Research Society. In these images, Śiva stands with Pārvatī, in his front, surrounded by a number of spirits and deities. Though these two specimens belong to the same species, there is a slight difference between them. In the specimen in the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad, Śiva stands facing the front. He has two hands, of which the right one is broken, the left one being placed on Pārvatī's left shoulder. Pārvatī also stands to front; she too has two hands, of which the right one is broken, and the left one holds a mirror.⁴ The specimen in the collection of the Varendra Research Society is more complete. Here Śiva and Pārvatī do not stand to front, but face the left. Śiva holds a dagger (*kṛipāṇa*) and a trident (*triśūla*) while Pārvatī holds a mirror and a piece of cloth (?). The figures of a bull and a lion, the respective *vāhanas* of Śiva and Pārvatī, are to be found on the pedestals of both images. Another common feature is the presence of the nine planets. In the Varendra Research Society's specimen the planets are to be found on the top, but in the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad specimen they are divided into two groups, one on each side of Śiva's head. The only other common feature between the two images is the pouring of water over Śiva's head by a male and a female in the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad image and by a male only in the Varendra Research Society's¹ specimen. In the latter we find Brahmā and Sūrya in a vertical row to the left of the images, but in the former we find three groups:—

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⁴ Ibid, pp. 72-4, pl. XVI, (G(b) 4)/285.

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¹ *A Catalogue of the Archæological Relics, etc., p. 9, No. C (d) 1/77 and plate.*

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(1) Two emaciated males, perhaps pretas.
(2) A kinnara and another male blowing a conch-shell and
(3) Mahākāla holding an umbrella over the head of the main group.

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The figures on the left side of the image in the Varendra Research Society's collection are indistinct in the photograph. Four groups appear to be placed one above another. These seem to be, (1) a bearded male pouring water over Śiva's head, with a female standing behind him with a vase in her hands; (2) a bearded male holding up a dwarfish winged (?) male; (3) a female (?) holding a lotus (?) and (4) a four-armed figure squatting. In the same place, in the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad image we find:—(1) a large female figure pouring water and behind her two emaciated figures (? pretas), (2) two emaciated figures, one of which is dancing, (3) Nandīśa and another smaller figure. Nandīśa is stated to be monkey-faced in the Saura-purāṇa. In the former image we find two men with drums and two kneeling worshippers, a male and a female on the pedestal. But in the latter we find two rows. In the first row we have:—(1) two Nāgas and an elephant, a Nāga (?) seated with two worshipping figures kneeling in front, (2) two Nāgas standing, a dancing male, and a dancing dwarf (gaṇa), two figures bringing offerings and two figures standing with clasped hands facing the proper right.

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My attention has been drawn, recently, to a very fine image of the ninth century A.D., which belongs to the same species. This particular specimen was discovered by Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, Khaira professor of Linguistics in the University of Calcutta, and now belongs to him. Dr. Chatterji has kindly informed me that the specimen was discovered by him in the court-yard of the great temple of Viṣṇupada at Gaya. This particular specimen resembles the Kalyāṇa-sundara images of Southern India much more than the specimens described above, which were discovered in Eastern Bengal. In this specimen, Hara and Pārvatī stand side by side and not in front of each other. Hara stands to the proper left and Pārvatī to his right. The right hand of Pārvatī is placed in one of the right hands of Śiva. The latter has four hands and holds a round object in the upper right hand, Pārvatī's right hand in the lower, a trident in the upper left while the lower one rests on his left thigh. Pārvatī holds an indistinct object in her left hand, which may be a mirror. Between these two figures is to be found Brahmā seated on the ground, with four heads and two hands. A male attendant appears on each side of the divine pair and both of them hold vases (*ghaṭa*) in one of their uplifted hands. On the top of the back slab there are eleven figures out of which nine in the centre are those of the nine planets, beginning with the Sun from the proper right and ending with Kētu on the proper left. There is a seated figure at each side of the heads of the divine pair which cannot be identified. On the pedestal the lion, the *vāhana* of Pārvatī appears on the proper right and the bull *couchant*, of Śiva, on the left. Between them, the front of the pedestal is occupied by a kneeling female, a dancing male, evidently a preta, three dancing musicians, two of whom are playing on drums and the third on cymbals. The technique of the specimen denotes that it belongs to the first period of decline of the Eastern School of Mediæval sculpture, after the disruption of the first Pāla empire at the end of the ninth century A.D. The specimen belongs to the same class as the two images discovered at Bihar in the Patna district which were dedicated in the third year of the reign of the emperor Śūrapāla I. There is a total want of craven stylization or of any idealistic affectations which is to be found in the sculpture of the eastern provinces of Northern India from the end of the eleventh century.¹ The *differentia* between the three specimens of this particular species is to be found in the presence of the seated figure of Brahmā. The proportions indicated for the figure of Brahmā in South Indian Sanskrit works on Iconography, such as the *Aṃśumad-bhēd-āgama*, *Uttara-kāmik-āgama*, *Śilpa-ratna*, etc., prove decisively that the architects and sculptors of North-eastern India worked on different lines and principles from those of Southern India and consequently southern works on sculpture and architecture are not generally applicable to Northern India.

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¹ See pl. XCV, c.

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Among the various forms of Pārvatī and Durgā worshipped in the eastern provinces of Northern India the most popular are the eight-armed (*aṣṭa-bhujā*) the ten-armed (*daśa-bhujā*) and the twelve-armed (*dvādaśa-bhujā*). All of these three forms belong to the species of *Mahisha-marddinī* or “The slayer of the buffalo-demon.” The worship of the eight and the twelve-armed varieties is now accidental and they have been superseded by the ten-armed variety. But the specimens discovered in Bengal and Bihar and the eastern part of the United Provinces prove that like the Punjab, Rajputana and the Deccan, in the beginning, *Śākta* worship included the worship and the representation of normal forms of this goddess with two or four hands. Just as at Bhumra in the Nagod state of Central India ² and at Badami ³ in the Bijapur district of the Bombay Presidency the earlier forms of Mahisha-marddinī possess four arms only, so also in Eastern India the earlier forms of the goddess possessed two or four arms. But in these provinces the older types, instead of being superseded, survived till the mediæval period. We find four-armed female figures almost in every part of the country. The worship of the eight, ten and twelve-armed figure of Pārvatī was therefore co-eval with the four and six-armed varieties. The wide development of Śākta worship in the eastern provinces of Northern India caused the production of a larger variety of images of this particular type. Consequently we find more varieties in this genus than in others of the orthodox or the Brahmanical pantheon. Subsequently the worship of certain varieties of this species appears to have been discontinued and replaced by other forms of the goddess. An image discovered at Mangalbari in the Dinajpur district shows a particular form of the four-armed variety. The goddess stands erect on a pedestal with four hands and one head. Unfortunately two of the hands are broken but of the remaining two, the right holds a trident and the left an elephant-prod. A figure of the lion is to be seen on the pedestal¹. Another image of the same variety was most probably discovered in Bihar and presented to the Asiatic Society of Bengal before the foundation of the Indian Museum. In this case also the goddess stands erect with four hands and there is a lion in front of the pedestal. Unfortunately three of the arms are broken and the attributes cannot be recognised. One of the attendants, a female stands under a tree, which she is holding with her proper right hand.² A second image in the collection of the Indian Museum appears to have come from Northern Bengal and was dedicated in the twelfth century A.D. The goddess stands erect with four hands and is in a comparatively good state of preservation. She holds a lotus in the upper right, a ball in the lower right, a mirror in the upper left, and an indistinct object in the lower left hand. She is attended by Gaṇeśa on the right and a female holding a lotus bud on the left. On the pedestal we find the miniature figure of a boar (?). So far as our knowledge goes at present this particular specimen is unique.³ Certain images in the museum of the Varendra Research Society appear to resemble this specimen but they are slightly different.

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² Memoirs of the Archæological Survey of India, No. 16, pl. XIV b.

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³ Ibid, No. 25, pl. II b.

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¹ See pl. LVI a.

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² Catalogue and Handbook, Part II, pp. 335-36, I. M. No. Ms. 3. See pl. LVI c.

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³ Ibid, Part II, p. 342, I. M. No. Ms. 10. See pl. LVII b.

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A particular class of images has been discovered in different parts of Eastern India. Specimens of this type have been labelled Chaṇḍī by the compilers of the Catalogue of the Museum of the Varendra Research Society at Rajshahi; but the authors have omitted to quote the authority on which this identification is based.⁴ Such images have been discovered at Bihar,⁵ Mandoil in the Rajshahi district,⁶ Raigunj in the Dinajpur district⁷ and Mahesvarpasa in the Khulna district.⁸ These images are invariably erect, possess four hands and are attended by the bull and the lion. Another characteristic common to all of them is the presence of the phallic symbol of Śiva over the upper right hand. A rosary is also held in this hand while the lower one is in the posture of blessing. The upper left holds a trident while the lower left is indistinct in the majority of cases. She is attended in certain cases only by Kārtikēya and Gaṇēśa and in the majority of cases plantain trees are present on her sides. Kārtikēya with two lions and Gaṇēśa with two antelopes are to be found in the very large specimen discovered at Mandoil in the Rajshahi district. The plantain trees, the lions and the antelopes are also to be seen in the specimen from Raigunj, Dinajpur district. But in the specimen in Mahesvarpasa in the Khulna district the plantain trees are omitted and we do not find Gaṇēśa, though there are several male and female attendants. In the case of the last two there is a boar-shaped quadruped on the pedestal, which the compilers of the Catalogues of the Museums of the Varendra Research Society and the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad agree in calling a godhikā, a sort of lizard; but this animal is absent in the case of the large image from Mandoil and the specimen from Bihar in the Indian Museum. Peculiar images of Tāntrika goddesses are discovered in Eastern Bengal from time to time. There is a very rare form of Kālī in the Dacca Museum which was discovered at Bajrajogini in that district. It is totally unlike that with which we are familiar in Northern Bengal as the goddess is seated, and holds a fish in the upper right hand, a skull-cup in the upper left and a child in the remaining two.¹

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⁴ Catalogue of the Archæological Relics in the Museum of the Varendra Research Society, p. 13.

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⁵ Supplementary Catalogue, p. 87, Nos. 3953 and 6270.

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⁶ Catalogue of the Archæological Relics in the Museum of the Varendra Research Society, p. 13, D(a) 1. See pl. LVII a.

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⁷ Handbook to the sculptures in the Museum of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad, pp. 82-3, No. J(a) 1/278. See pl. LVII d.

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⁸ See pl. LVII c.

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¹ See pl. LXIII d.

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Images of the Mahisha-marddinī fall into three different classes. The eight-armed and the twelve-armed types are very common in the mediæval period but ten-armed specimens are rare. The Rajshahi Museum possesses a six-armed variety purchased at Benares.³ The museum of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad does not contain any and the specimen labelled Durgā has been wrongly identified.³ A specimen in the Indian Museum belongs to the thirteenth or the fourteenth century. Twelve-armed images of Durgā are not very common but a splendid specimen in metal was discovered in 1925 in the village of Kesabpur in the Dinajpur district.⁴ Another important group of Sākta images has now come to be included among Śaiva images proper. Their worship is gradually dying out throughout India. These are the terrible seven Mothers (Sapta-mātṛkāḥ), who were universally worshipped throughout Northern and Southern India in the mediæval period. Their images are well known throughout Northern India from the banks of the Jhelum to Sadiya on the north-eastern frontier and from the Kangra valley to Ramesvaram. They have been discovered in cave No. I at Elephanta near Bombay and at different places in Southern India to the south of Madras. The origin of the worship of these goddesses is still shrouded in mystery. Most probably they were accepted into the orthodox Hindu pantheon along with other Dravidian deities such as the phallic form of Śiva. In Northern and Western India the worship of the seven Mothers is generally associated with that of Śiva and the usual way The principal characteristics of Sūrya images are as follows:—

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² Catalogue of the Archæological Relics in the Museum of the Varendra Research Society, p. 15, No. D(b) 14/281.

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³ Handbook to the sculptures in the Museum of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad, pp. 85-86, No. J(d) 1/338.

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⁴ See pl. LIII c. According to the decision of the Government of Bengal, proceedings instituted to acquire this image for the Indian Museum, Calcutta, according to the Indian Treasure Trove Act (Act VI of 1878) were dropped and the specimen returned to the owner.

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(1) The god stands holding lotus-stalks in his two hands. Images with four hands are very rare. One is to be found in the Sūrya temple close to the Viṣṇupada at Gaya.

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(2) Seven horses and usually one wheel are always to be found on the pedestal.

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(3) The feet of the main figure are never shown. They are either encased in boots or hidden inside the chariot. One specimen from North Bengal,¹ one from Magadha² or Bihar, one from West Bengal³ and one from East Bengal⁴ have been selected for illustration. In specimen No. 3925 in the Indian Museum we find the lower part of the legs hidden in the chariot and so invisible.

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¹ No. 176 F (a) from District Rajshahi,—A Cat. of Archæological relics, etc., p. 24. See pl. LIXc.

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² No. 3924. Supplementary Catalogue, p. 80. See pl. LIXa.

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³ See pl. LIXb, I. M. No. MS. 8; Cat. and Handbook, part II, p. 337.

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⁴ See pl. LIXd.

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Images of Kārttikeya are very rare in the eastern provinces. The Matsya-purāṇa describes three different forms:—

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(1) with twelve arms,

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(2) with four arms, and

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(3) with two arms.

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Sthāpayet=sv-ēṣṭa-nagarē bhujān dvādaśa kārayēt
Chaturbhujaḥ kharvaṭē syād=vanē grāmē dvibāhukaḥ.

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—Chap. 260, 47.

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Not a single twelve-armed specimen has been discovered in Bengal or Bihar. The Indian Museum collection possesses a four-armed specimen, but all hands in this specimen are broken.⁵ There is a peacock on the right and a cock on the left, on the back of which rests one of the left hands of the god. The cock is said to be found in two-armed specimens:—

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⁵ Ms. 9, Cat. and Handbook, part II, p. 337. See pl. LXIa.

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Dvibhujasya karē śaktir=vāmē syāt kukkuṭ=ōpari
Chaturbhujē śakti-pāśau vāmatō dakṣiṇē tv=asiḥ
Varadō=bhayadō v=āpi dakṣiṇaḥ syāt=turīyakaḥ.

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—Chap. 260, 50-51.

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There are three indifferent specimens of images of Kārttikeya in the Rājshahi Museum⁶.

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⁶ A Catalogue of Archæological relics, etc., p. 12.

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Images of Gaṇeśa are also common, but in North-Eastern India, one special form of Gaṇeśa seems to have been very popular. This is the dancing Gaṇeśa with eight hands. A flint image in the Indian Museum collection shows that the god holds a cup of sweets (mōdaka, it may also be a pomegranate) and a snake in his left hands, while a bunch of mangoes hangs over his heads⁷ (No. 5625).

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⁷ From Bāṇa Rājā's Garh, District Dinajpur, Supplementary Catalogue, p. 89. See pl. LXb.

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*Cf.*, *Matsyapurāṇa*—

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Vināyakaṁ pravakṣyāmi gaja-vaktraṁ trilōcanaṁ
Lambōdaraṁ caturbāhuṁ vyāla-yajñōpavītinam.
Dhvasta-karṇaṁ bṛhat-tuṇḍam=ēka-damṣṭraṁ pṛth-udaraṁ.
Sva-dantaṁ dakṣiṇa-kara utpalaṁ ch=āparē tathā.
Mōdakaṁ paraśuṁ ch=aiva vāmataḥ parikalpayēt.

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—*Chap.* 260, 52-54.

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An image of Gaṇeśa with five heads has been discovered in the Dacca District¹. The Museum of the Varendra Research Society contains a fine collection of images of Gaṇeśa. There are two seated and nine dancing images there, out of which G(b) 1/224 is the best² and belongs to the 11th century. The second best belongs to the 12th century and came from Deopara³.

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¹ See pl. LXa.

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² A Catalogue of Archæological relics, etc., pp. 26-27. Pl. LXc.

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³ Ibid. p. 27, No. G(b) 5/374. Pl. LX d.

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Images of Kuvēra are also very rare. They are described in the *Matsyapurāṇa* in the following words:—

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Kuvērañ=cha pravakṣyāmi kuntalābhyām=alaṁkṛtam
Mahōdaraṁ mahākāyaṁ nidhy=aṣṭaka-samanvitam
Guhyakair=bahubhīr=yuktaṁ dhana-vyagra-karais-tathā
Hāra-kēyūra-rachitaṁ sitāmbara-dharaṁ sadā.

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—*Chap.* 261, 20-21.

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The specimens in the Indian Museum show a fat dwarfish figure seated on a low couch with a bag in his hand, and what looks like a ball in his right⁴.

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⁴ Supplementary Catalogue, p. 27, No. 3908.

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The only other male deity whose images are common in the north-eastern provinces of India is Brahmā. The usual form is that of a four-headed male seated with a goose on the pedestal. The *Matsyapurāṇa* describes images of Brahmā in the following words:—

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Brahma kamaṇḍalu-dharaḥ karttavyaḥ sachaturmmukhaḥ
Haṁsārūḍhaḥ kvachit=kāryyaḥ kvachich=cha kamalāsanaḥ
Varṇṇataḥ padmagarbhābhaś=caturbāhuḥ śubhēkṣaṇaḥ
Kamaṇḍaluṁ vāma-karē sruvaṁ hastē tu dakṣiṇē
Vāmē daṇḍa-dharaṁ tadvat sruvaṁ ch=āpi pradarśayēt
Munibhir=dēva-gandharvaiḥ stūyamānaṁ samantataḥ
Kurvāṇaṁ iva lōkāṁ śrīṁ śuklāmbara-dharaṁ vibhuṁ
Mṛga-charma-dharaṁ ch=āpi divya-yajñōpavītinam
Ājyasthālīṁ nyasēt pārśvē vēdāṁś=cha chaturaḥ punaḥ
Vāma-pārśvē=sya Sāvitrīṁ dakṣiṇē cha Sarasvatīm.

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—*Chap.* 260, 40-44.

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A very beautiful image of Brahmā was sent to the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad from Raiganj in Dinajpur. The upper part of the back slab is broken.

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in this image, so are two of the hands. The main figure holds a rosary in one of the right hands and the *kamaṇḍalu* in the left. A female figure is standing on each side. These are evidently Sāvitrī and Sarasvatī. On the pedestal is a goose and two kneeling devotees.¹ There are four good images of Brahmā in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, of which No. 3904 is the best². The Rajshahi Museum contains nine specimens³.

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