The Antiquities of Orissa v2.c16.s2.69

v2.c16.s2.69

Nor is the goddess confined to the Hindus and the aborigines. She is as frequently met with the Buddhist fanes. The cave under notice is unquestionably a Buddhist temple from the fact of a figure of Bhddha occupying the most prominent position on the centre of the hind wall of the chamber, and yet we have the goddess also on the frieze. On the tympanum of a niche or back-frame of a statue found at Manikyāla she occurs in a slightly modified form under an arch formed by the twining of the trunks of two elephants standing rampart on the two sides ; below the elephants are two bulls, and behind them a thatched hut on each side. Close by the goddess are two female attendants. The goddess holds a lotus, but there is no lotus bush beside her, or under her feet.³⁵ The bulls here noticed are probably ill-formed images of elephants.