Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c9.s2: II. Śaiva Images

Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture c9.s2

Language
English

Contents

II. Śaiva Images

c9.s2.1

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* :-

c9.s2.2

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

c9.s2.3

⁴ See pl. LII b.

c9.s2.4

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

c9.s2.5

⁶ See pl. LII-c.

c9.s2.6

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

c9.s2.7

⁸ See pl. LIV f.

c9.s2.8

*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.

c9.s2.9

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 :—

c9.s2.10

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.

c9.s2.11

*Right hands.*

c9.s2.12

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

c9.s2.13

*Left hands.*

c9.s2.14

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

c9.s2.15

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

c9.s2.16

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.

c9.s2.17

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

c9.s2.18

³ See pl. LIII a.

c9.s2.19

⁴ See pl. LV c.

c9.s2.20

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

c9.s2.21

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

c9.s2.22

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.

c9.s2.23

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

c9.s2.24

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*.

c9.s2.25

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

c9.s2.26

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

c9.s2.27

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

c9.s2.28

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

c9.s2.29

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*.

c9.s2.30

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*:—

c9.s2.31

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

c9.s2.32

*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.

c9.s2.33

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 :--

c9.s2.34

⁴ See pl. LV a.

c9.s2.35

⁵ See pl. LV b.

c9.s2.36

⁶ See pl. LIV d.

c9.s2.37

¹ Pl. LV d.

c9.s2.38

² See pl. LXXI b.

c9.s2.39

*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.

c9.s2.40

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

c9.s2.41

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

c9.s2.42

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:—

c9.s2.43

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

c9.s2.44

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

c9.s2.45

(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.

c9.s2.46

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.

c9.s2.47

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.

c9.s2.48

¹ See pl. XCV, c.

c9.s2.49

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.

c9.s2.50

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

c9.s2.51

³ Ibid, No. 25, pl. II b.

c9.s2.52

¹ See pl. LVI a.

c9.s2.53

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

c9.s2.54

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

c9.s2.55

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

c9.s2.56

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

c9.s2.57

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

c9.s2.58

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

c9.s2.59

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.

c9.s2.60

⁸ See pl. LVII c.

c9.s2.61

¹ See pl. LXIII d.

c9.s2.62

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:—

c9.s2.63

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

c9.s2.64

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

c9.s2.65

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.

c9.s2.66

(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.

c9.s2.67

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

c9.s2.68

(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.

c9.s2.69

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

c9.s2.70

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

c9.s2.71

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

c9.s2.72

⁴ See pl. LIXd.

c9.s2.73

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

c9.s2.74

(1) with twelve arms,

c9.s2.75

(2) with four arms, and

c9.s2.76

(3) with two arms.

c9.s2.77

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

c9.s2.78

—Chap. 260, 47.

c9.s2.79

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:—

c9.s2.80

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

c9.s2.81

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

c9.s2.82

—Chap. 260, 50-51.

c9.s2.83

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

c9.s2.84

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

c9.s2.85

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).

c9.s2.86

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

c9.s2.87

*Cf.*, *Matsyapurāṇa*—

c9.s2.88

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.

c9.s2.89

—*Chap.* 260, 52-54.

c9.s2.90

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.

c9.s2.91

¹ See pl. LXa.

c9.s2.92

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

c9.s2.93

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

c9.s2.94

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

c9.s2.95

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

c9.s2.96

—*Chap.* 261, 20-21.

c9.s2.97

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.

c9.s2.98

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

c9.s2.99

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:—

c9.s2.100

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.

c9.s2.101

—*Chap.* 260, 40-44.

c9.s2.102

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.

c9.s2.103

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.

c9.s2.104

¹ *Handbook, etc.*, p. 53, No. (E(a)1)/279. See pl. LXIc.

c9.s2.105

² *Supplementary Catalogue*, pp. 89-90, Nos. 3902-05.

c9.s2.106

³ *A Catalogue of the Archæological relics, etc.*, pp. 27-28; Nos. (H(a)1)/252 to (H(a)9)/230.

c9.s2.107

The figures of the nine planets are found all over India and are common in the eastern provinces as well. There are several specimens in the Indian Museum of which the best is No. 4168.⁴ The Rajshahi Museum contains four. They served as lintels of temples⁵. Images of Agni are not uncommon in Bihar and Bengal. The god rides on a ram (*meṣa*) and flames are represented all round his body. A fine specimen in the Indian Museum comes from Bihar (I. M. No. 3914)⁶, a second specimen discovered in the Dinajpur District belongs to the collection of Mr. P. C. Nahar⁷. The Rajshahi Museum possesses at least one specimen⁸.

c9.s2.108

⁴ *Supplementary Catalogue*, p. 83. See pl. LXIIIb.

c9.s2.109

⁵ *A Cat. of Archl. relics, etc.*, pp. 25-26.

c9.s2.110

⁶ *Supplementary Catalogue*, p. 90.

c9.s2.111

⁷ See pl. LXIb.

c9.s2.112

⁸ *Catalogue of Archl. relics, etc.*, p. 32, No. (H(g)1)/167.

c9.s2.113

Among minor female images those of Gaṅgā (the river Ganges) and Yamunā (the river Jumna) are worth mentioning. The Ganges is always known by her *vāhana*, the *makara*. I am indebted to Prof. Satis Chandra Mitra of the Hindu Academy, Daulatpur, for a photograph of an image of Gaṅgā⁹ found by him inside the temple of Jasoreśvarī in Īśvarīpur of the Khulna District of Bengal. In this image the goddess is attended by two Nāginīs, one of which holds an umbrella over her head, while the other holds a vase (*ghaṭa*). A metal image of this goddess has been discovered at Nālandā¹⁰. A very fine image of Gaṅgā, in black basalt, used to stand on the *ghāṭ* at Triveṇī in the Hooghly District of Bengal. There is a good specimen in the Rajshahi Museum.¹¹ Generally images of Gaṅgā are to be found on the doors of temples. The jambs on each side bear standing images of Gaṅgā on her vehicle (*vāhana*) the *makara* and Yamunā on her vehicles the tortoise. Separate images of Yamunā are rare. The Indian Museum collection contains an image in which the goddess stands on the back of a tortoise with an attendant on each side.¹² A similar image with one attendant female is to be seen in the Patna Museum.¹³

c9.s2.114

⁹ See pl. LXId.

c9.s2.115

¹⁰ See pl. LXXId.

c9.s2.116

¹¹ *A Cat. of the Arch. relics, etc.*, p. 28, No. (H(c)1)/354. See pl. XCVa.

c9.s2.117

¹² *Supplementary Catalogue*. p. 88, No. 3954. See pl. LXIIIc.

c9.s2.118

¹³ See pl. LXIIb.

c9.s2.119

Images of Lakṣmī are very rare. The Indian Museum possesses none. The Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad possesses only one image. There are three metal images in the Museum of the Varendra Research Society.¹ Lakshmī is described in the *Matsyapurāṇa* in the following words :—

c9.s2.120

¹ *Catalogue of the Archæological Relics, etc.*, p. 31, 316, 317, 318; all found in the Bogra District.

c9.s2.121

*Śriyaṃ devīṃ pravakṣyāmi nave vayasi saṃsthitām*
*Suyauvanāṃ pinagaṇḍāṃ raktaushṭhīṃ kuñchita-bhruvam.*
*Pīn-ōnnata-stana-taṭāṃ maṇi-kuṇḍala-dhāriṇīm*
*Sumaṇḍalaṃ mukhaṃ tasyāḥ śiraḥ sīmanta-bhūṣaṇam*
*Padma-svastika-śaṅkhair=vā bhūshitāṃ kuṇḍal-ālakaiḥ*
*Kañchuk-ābaddha-gātrī cha hāra-bhūshau payōdharau*
*Nāga-hast-ōpamau bāhū kēyūra-khēṭak-ōjjvalau*
*Padmaṃ hastē pradātavyaṃ Śrī-phalaṃ dakṣiṇē bhujē*
*Mēkhal-ābharaṇaṃ tadvat=tapta-kāñchana-saprabhām.*
*Nānābharaṇa-sampannāṃ śōbhan-āmbara-dhāriṇīm*
*Pārśvē tasyāḥ striyaḥ kāryyāś=chāmara-vyagra-pāṇayaḥ*
*Padm-āsan-ōpaviṣṭā tu padma-siṃhāsana-sthitā.*
*Karibhyāṃ snāpyamān=āsau bhṛiṅgārābhyām=anēkaśaḥ*
*Prakṣālayantau kariṇau bhṛiṅgārābhyāṃ tathā-parau.*
—*Matsyapurāṇa*, chap. 261, 40-46.

c9.s2.122

But the image in the collection of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Parishad has four hands and is seated on a lotus. Two elephants are pouring water over her head from vases (*ghaṭa*). She holds a rosary and an arrow in her right hands and a lotus with stalk and a book in the left ones. Some of the attributes are to be found in the description given in the *Bṛihat-Saṃhitā* :—

c9.s2.123

*Kāryyā chaturbhujā yā vāmakarābhyāṃ sapustakaṃ kamalam*
*Dvābhyāṃ dakṣiṇa-pārśvē varam=arthishv=akṣasūtrañ=cha*
*Vāmēshv=aṣṭabhujāyāḥ kamaṇḍaluṃ chāpam=ambujaṃ śāstram*
*Vara-śara-darpaṇa-yuktāḥ savya-bhujāḥ s-ākṣasūtrāś=cha.*
—Chap. 58, 38-39.

c9.s2.124

A peculiar image of Chaṇḍī was discovered by my friend, Babu Khagendranath Chatterji, in 1911 in the town of Dacca. It would have been very difficult to recognise it as an image of Chaṇḍī had it not been for the inscription on the pedestal. The inscription records that the image was dedicated in the 3rd year of the reign of Lakshmaṇasena by an officer (*adhikṛita*) named Dāmodara.² The image is quite different from the known forms as described in the *Mārkaṇḍeya-Chaṇḍī* or the *Chaturvarga-chintāmaṇi*, *Vrata Khaṇḍa* of Hemādri. It has four hands and holds a battle-axe (*paraśu*) in her upper right hand, while the lower is in the *varada-mudrā*. The left hands hold a lotus with a stalk and a vase(?). There is a lien couchant on the pedestal.³

c9.s2.125

² J. and P. A. S. B., (N. S.), Vol. IX, p. 271.

c9.s2.126

³ See pl. VI d.

c9.s2.127

Images of Manasā are also rare. The Indian Museum collection contains two images. Two more are in the collection of Babu Puran Chand Nahar, Zamindar of Azimganj, Murshidabad District. The goddess is usually seated with a seven-hooded serpent canopy over her head. Usually there are four hands; in the upper right hand she holds a rosary, while the lower is in the varadamudrā and the left hands hold a shield(?) and a vase (ghaṭa)¹. The Rajshahi Museum possesses fifteen specimens² and there is a beautiful specimen in the library of the Rangpur Sāhitya Parishad.³ A very good specimen was discovered at Bhadiswar in the Birbhum District.⁴

c9.s2.128

¹ Supplementary Catalogue, p. 95, No. 3950. See pl. LXIVc.

c9.s2.129

² A Catalogue of the Archaeological relics, etc., pp. 29-30. See pl. LXIVd.

c9.s2.130

³ See pl. LXIVa.

c9.s2.131

⁴ See pl. LXIVb.

c9.s2.132

Images of Nāgas and Nāgīs are common in Bihar. The Indian Museum contains a number of them. The Nāga images are described in the Matsya-purāṇa :—

c9.s2.133

Nāgāś=ch=aiva tu karttavyāḥ khaḍga-khēṭaka-dhāriṇaḥ
Adhastāt prakṛitis-tēṣām nābhr=vṛiddhas=tu pauruṣī
Phaṇāś=cha mūrdhni karttavyā dvijihvā bahavaḥ samāḥ.
—Chap. 262, 48-49.

c9.s2.134

In the Indian Museum collection we find two representations of a Nāga and a Nāgī embracing each other, the lower parts of their bodies being coiled round each other.⁵

c9.s2.135

⁵ See pl. LXVa and c.

c9.s2.136

The following rare forms of miscellaneous Brahmanical deities deserve special mention in this connection. The goddess Sarasvatī is very widely worshipped in all parts of Bengal. The fifth day of the bright half of the month of Māgha is set apart for her worship. Images are made of clay in which the goddess is represented as standing or seated on a lotus holding a vīṇā in her hands. Stone images are very rare. Only one image appears to have been discovered in Eastern Bengal and is kept in the Dacca Museum. The Rajshahi Museum possesses three specimens, two of which were discovered in the Rajshahi District while the third comes from Chhatingram in the Bogra District. In the illustration published in the Catalogue of the Museum we find the characteristic features of the fourth period of activity of the Eastern School of Mediæval Sculpture.⁶ The Dacca specimen also belongs to the same period⁷.

c9.s2.137

⁶ A Catalogue of Archaeological relics, etc., pp. 30-31. See pl. LXII c.

c9.s2.138

⁷ See pl. LXIIIe.

c9.s2.139

Peculiar images are discovered from time to time in different parts of Bengal. A fine image of an emaciated goddess was discovered at Devagrām in the Nadia District of Bengal. The deity is seated on her haunches on a lotus throne and, with the exception of a scanty loin cloth and an amulet suspended from her neck by a thick string, she does not wear any ornaments or clothing. The upper part of her body is quite bare. The representation of the human diaphragm and the veins on the legs and the neck are quite true to nature. The long lank hair has been combed away from the forehead and the artist has succeeded in depicting a smile on the lean haggard face in a manner which would have done credit to a Greek sculptor. The specimen was discovered in pieces and the proper left arm, which rested on the right knee, is broken. The left hand is placed on the seat and the posture reminds me of the attitude adopted by many aged women in India. There are two volutes, one on each side of the stem of the lotus and inside each of them is a lotus bud. The figures of the donor and his wife are to be found on the pedestal, on the proper right. The corresponding space on the left of the pedestal is occupied by the miniature figurine of a donkey, standing on a small lotus flower.¹

c9.s2.140

¹ See *pl. LXII d*. *Handbook to the Sculptures in the Museum of the Baṅgīya Sāhitya Pariṣad*, p. 84, *pl. XIX*.

c9.s2.141

A fine large image of a female deity was discovered by Prof. Satish Chandra Mitra at Shekhhati in the Jessore District. The image is still worshipped as Bhuvaneśvarī. The goddess is seated in the *arddha-paryaṅka* posture on a lotus throne and her proper left foot rests on the back of a lion. Two more lions are to be seen on the pedestal, one on each side of the larger lion. The goddess possesses three eyes, the third being placed on the forehead, and six hands. She holds (1) a lotus (*padma*) and (2) a rosary in the upper right hands while the third is in the posture of blessing. In her left hands she holds (1) a lance (*śūla*), and (2) a pot (*ghaṭa*), while the remaining one is in the posture of giving protection. She wears a high headdress and the specimen belongs to the fourth and last period of activity of the Eastern School. ²

c9.s2.142

² See *pl. LVIII a*.

c9.s2.143

The artists of the Eastern School produced a new kind of image of Māra or Kāma. The god is seated on a lotus with his two wives Rati and Triṣṇā, one on each side tightly clasped in his arms. He is seated in the *arddha-paryaṅka* posture, with his proper right foot on a makara, his *vāhana*. Under the lotus we find an altar, with a female kneeling on the ground in front of it and a wheel higher up on the face of the pedestal. There are two such images in the Indian Museum which were found in Bihar.³ No specimens of this type appear to have been discovered in Bengal proper.

c9.s2.144

³ Nos. 3811 and 3812, *Supplementary Catalogue*, p. 89. See *pl. LXV b*.

c9.s2.145

In the Eastern School, a class of images, hitherto identified as Kalkin, the tenth incarnation of Viṣṇu, have been proved in the majority of cases to be images of Revanta, the son of the Sun. In images of Revanta we find dogs in a hunting scene on the pedestal. There are four such images in the Indian Museum,⁴ one in the Rajshahi Museum⁵, one in the Sārnāth Museum and at least one such image has been discovered at Nālandā⁶.

c9.s2.146

⁴ *Ibid*, p. 85, Nos. 5621, 3775-77.

c9.s2.147

⁵ *A Catalogue of the Archæological relics, etc.*, p. 26, No. (F(c)1)/258.

c9.s2.148

⁶ See *pl. LXV e*; *Journ. and Proc. A.S.B. (N.S.), Vol. V*, pp. 392-93.

c9.s2.149

In the first period of activity of the Eastern School of Mediæval Sculpture there is a great paucity of Brahmanical or Hindu images in South Bihar as well as Northern and Western Bengal; but such is not the case in Eastern Bengal. Among the inscribed sculptures from the eastern provinces of Northern India in the Indian Museum belonging to the eighth and ninth centuries A.D. the only Brahmanical image is that of Viṣṇu from Bihar (I.M. No. 3876⁷). The metal image dedicated by Sarvāṇī⁸ and discovered in the Dacca District, also belongs to the same period and is referred to in the next chapter. In the second period of activity of the Eastern School there is a similar paucity of Brahmanical or Hindu images. The collection in the Dacca Museum is specially rich in Brahmanical images of the ninth and tenth centuries A.D. but, at the same time, it must be admitted that as none of them is inscribed, their attribution is still open to some doubt. No doubt they belong to a period earlier than the specimens of the first renaissance in the Eastern School, *i.e.*, the tenth and eleventh centuries A.D.; but as they exhibit certain characteristics common to images of the second period of activity of the Eastern School from Magadha or South Bihar, they, too, have been relegated to the same period. Such is the image of Badarī-Nārāyaṇa¹ from Sonarang and the particularly fine image of the Fish incarnation of Viṣṇu² discovered at Bajrajogini in the Dacca District, which is still worshipped *in situ*. Eastern Bengal appears to be comparatively richer in Śaiva sculptures of the second period of activity of the Eastern School. Apparently, the two fine specimens of the *tāṇḍava* dance of Śiva in the Dacca Museum,³ one of which was discovered at Rampal, the beautiful image of Śiva discovered at Kashipur⁴ in the Bakarganj District, and the image of Virūpākṣa discovered at Rampal⁵ in the Dacca District belong to this period.

c9.s2.150

⁷ See *pl. XI a*.

c9.s2.151

⁸ See *pl. Ic*

c9.s2.152

¹ See pl. XLVa.

c9.s2.153

² See pl. XLVIIIb.

c9.s2.154

³ See pl. LII *a* and *c*.

c9.s2.155

⁴ See pl. LIIb.

c9.s2.156

⁵ See pl. LIIIa.

c9.s2.157

The first period of renaissance in the Eastern School is extremely interesting for the iconographical evidence afforded by it about the revival of the orthodox Hindu or Brahmanical religion in the eastern provinces of Northern India. If the number of images in stone and metals is to be regarded as a criterion for the study of the historical development of the Brahmanical religion then it must be admitted that both in Magadha and Bengal the Bhāgavata sect of the Vaiṣṇavas flourished vigorously from the beginning of the eleventh century A.D. The scarcity of such images in the previous centuries proves no doubt that that sect existed as a minor community only in the earlier period of the rule of the Pāla dynasty in North-Eastern India. The sudden increase in the number of the Viṣṇu images in the eleventh and twelfth centuries A.D. proves that a powerful reaction against Buddhism had begun early in the eleventh. This reaction against Buddhism is not evident in the case of the Bhāgavata sect alone; it brought about a general revival of all the different sects of the Brahmanical or Hindu religion. Images of Śiva and Durgā; *lingas*, separate images of different forms of Pārvatī, minor deities such as Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, etc., are to be found for the first time among the specimens of the Eastern School in the third and fourth periods of its activity, *i.e.*, in the eleventh and twelfth centuries A.D. This revival of the Brahmanical religion is also evident from the varieties of images of the different gods which are altogether absent in the earlier periods, *e.g.*, in the case of Viṣṇu:—

c9.s2.158

(*a*) The birth of Kṛṣṇa,⁶ (b) The special forms of Lōkēśvara-Viṣṇu from Garui,¹ Ghiyasabad,² Sonarang³ and Sāgardighi,⁴
(c) Special form of Vāsudeva from Sāgardighi⁵ and
(d) Śeṣaśāyin from Gayā.⁶

c9.s2.159

⁶ See pl. La-d. and XLIXb.

c9.s2.160

¹ See pl. XXXVIIIa.

c9.s2.161

² See pl. XXXVIIIc.

c9.s2.162

³ See pl. XXXVIIId.

c9.s2.163

⁴ See pl. XXXVIIIb.

c9.s2.164

⁵ See pl. LVIIIc.

c9.s2.165

⁶ See pl. XLIXc.

c9.s2.166

Among these instances the figure of Śeṣaśāyin is an imitation of the Gupta forms but the special form of Vāsudeva from Sāgardighi is unique, the worship of which is long since obsolete. The complete unanimity amongst the sculptors of the different parts of the eastern provinces of Northern India in the delineation of images of the incarnations of Viṣṇu proves that there was a similarity of methods and rules in sculpture in different parts of the Pāla Empire. If we compare the Narasimha from Rampal,⁷ from Paikor⁸ and from Bihar⁹ then we are forced to admit the truth of this statement; but the image of the fish incarnation at Bajrajogini belongs to a class apart.¹⁰ Similarly, in the case of Śaiva images, we find there is a complete unity in the method in the specimens from Swamibagh,¹¹ Birbhum,¹² Dinajpur¹³ and Bihar¹⁴ all of which belong to the period of the first Renaissance. Special forms of Śaiva images are also to be found in large numbers in the eleventh and twelfth centuries A.D. The collections of Śaiva images in the Indian and Rajshahi Museums belong to this date. Among such images special mention ought to be made of the two peculiar specimens, representing the marriage of Śiva, in the collection at Rajshahi¹⁵ and that of the Baṅgiya Sāhitya Parishad¹⁶ at Calcutta. They are different from the older specimen in the possession of Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji.¹⁷ In the method of treatment there is a certain amount of similarity between the latter specimen from Gaya and the basreliefs and images representing the same subject discovered in other parts of India. But in the case of the two later specimens both the method and the technique are different, showing that there was no similarity or agreement in the methods and rules of the northern and the southern artists of India in the mediæval period.

c9.s2.167

⁷ See pl. XLId.

c9.s2.168

⁸ See pl. XLVIb.

c9.s2.169

⁹ See pl. XLVIc.

c9.s2.170

¹⁰ See pl. XLVIIIb.

c9.s2.171

¹¹ See pl. LIVd.

c9.s2.172

¹² See pl. LVd.

c9.s2.173

¹³ See pl. LVb.

c9.s2.174

¹⁴ See pl. LVa.

c9.s2.175

¹⁵ See pl. LIVc.

c9.s2.176

¹⁶ See pl. LIVb.

c9.s2.177

¹⁷ See pl. XCVc.

c9.s2.178

The Brahmanical specimens described above prove, moreover, that the art-manuals of Southern India, which form the basis of the late Mr. T. A. Gopinatha Rao’s researches into Hindu iconography, found little credence in North-Eastern India in the mediæval period. Allowing for latitude of individual capacity and conception and similarity of the subject matter, there is no doubt.

c9.s2.179

about the fact that different schools of different parts of India followed different art-manuals of their own. This is nowhere better evident than in the images of Viṣṇu from Gorakhpur,¹ Swamibagh,² Munger,³ Bangarh,⁴ Nakkatitala,⁵ Deora⁶ and Sundarban⁷ and the types to be found in the first volume of Mr. T. A. Gopinath Rao’s monumental work on Hindu Iconography. But we find the difference more carefully in the case of special images such as those of the marriage of Śiva. In the language of the southern art-manuals such images are called Kalyāṇa-sundara-mūrttis. Mr. Gopinath Rao has published excellent illustrations of this subject. Three of them come from Southern India, i.e., from Madura⁸ and Tiruvoṛṛiyūr,⁹ two from Western India¹⁰ and one from the Central Provinces.¹¹ All of these specimens though coming from different and distant provinces agree in one aspect; they show Śiva and Pārvatī standing side by side in the position of the marriage gift (sampradāna). All of the six specimens agree in this respect that Śiva stands by the side of Pārvatī. The late Mr. T. A. Gopinatha Rao recognised this fully and stated that “In the composition of the scene of the marriage of Pārvatī with Śiva there should be Śiva and Pārvatī forming the central figures facing the east.... To the left of the figure of Śiva should be standing that of Pārvatī.¹²” This statement is based on two southern manuals quoted in the second part of the second volume of Mr. Gopinatha Rao’s work.¹³ In the actual illustrations we find Śiva standing to the proper right and Pārvatī on his proper left in all cases. We find the same position of the main figures in the great toraṇa at Rewa.¹⁴ But the two specimens of the same subject discovered in the Dacca and Rajshahi Districts show Pārvatī in front of Śiva, a feature which is absent in all of the Kalyāṇa-sundara-mūrtis discovered outside Bengal proper. Even the Gayā specimen agrees with the Non-Bengali style but the two specimens from the Dacca and Rajshahi Districts stand apart from the rest. The Dacca specimens shows the front view of the pair but the Rajshahi specimen shows the side view. In other respects, such as the presence of Brahmā as the officiating priest, the presence of Viṣṇu and other gods, these two specimens agree with the description of the Purāṇas. It is not possible to state what particular art-manual the sculpture of these two specimens followed; but it is certain that they did not work according to the southern manuals, Amśu-bhēd-āgama or the Pūrva-kāraṇ-āgama. The propriety of calling such images Kalyāṇa-sundara-mūrttis is, therefore, questionable.

c9.s2.180

¹ See pl. XLIII a.

c9.s2.181

² See pl. XLIII b.

c9.s2.182

³ See pl. XLIII c.

c9.s2.183

⁴ See pl. XLIII d.

c9.s2.184

⁵ See pl. XLIV a.

c9.s2.185

⁶ See pl. XLIV b.

c9.s2.186

⁷ See pl. XLIV c.

c9.s2.187

⁸ Elements of Hindu Iconography, Vol. II, Part I, pls. CVI and CVII.

c9.s2.188

⁹ Ibid, pl. CI.

c9.s2.189

¹⁰ Ibid, pl. CIII from Elephanta and pl. CIV-CV from Ellora.

c9.s2.190

¹¹ Ibid, pl. CII from Ratanpur.

c9.s2.191

¹² Ibid, pp. 338-40.

c9.s2.192

¹³ Ibid, Vol. II, Part II, pp. 172-77.

c9.s2.193

¹⁴ Memoirs of the Archæological Survey of India, No. 23, pls. XXV-XXVI.

c9.s2.194

While thousands of images of different varieties of the four-armed Vishnu, belonging to the eleventh and twelfth centuries have been discovered in different parts of the provinces of Bengal and Bihar, only a single specimen of the combined image of Krishna and Rādhā can safely assigned to the Eastern School during its long existence. The locality of this specimen is unknown, but it belongs to the Broadley collection of Bihar and is a specimen of the eleventh century A.D.¹ The Krishna cult was therefore followed by a very minor sect during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Not only do we find a very great scarcity of combined images of Krishna and Rādhā in the Eastern School but no image of Krishna by himself earlier than the fifteenth century has been discovered anywhere in Bengal or Bihar. The popularity of the Rādhā-Krishna cult in the north-eastern provinces of India appears to date from the advent of the great reformer Chaitanya. From the beginning of the fifteenth century the majority of Brahmanical images in Bengal and Bihar, both in metal and stone, are either lingas and images of Durgā or Kālī or representations of Krishna or Rādhā-Krishna. In this period there is a total absence of images of Vishnu either in stone or metal. There is, thus, a hiatus in the history of the Vaishnava sect in North-Eastern India from the twelfth to the fifteenth century A.D. to fill up which iconography can supply no materials. When the Eastern School had ceased to exist, the artists of Eastern and Northern Bengal continued to carve figures of Vishnu of the old style, occasionally, either in wood or stone. The wooden image of Vishnu in the Dacca Museum,² discovered at Muradnagar in the Tippera District is certainly later than the twelfth century. An inscribed image in stone has recently been added to the Rajshahi Museum, which exhibits the same degenerate style as the wooden specimen described above. These old-style Vishnu images do not appear to have been carved after the advent of Chaitanya.

First 194 of 212 passages. Read on

Cites (14)