Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c7.11

v1.c7.11

Prof C. D. Chatterji—Although eminent scholars like Sri Gopi Nath Rao, Dr. J. N. Banerjea, Sri N. K. Bhattasali, Dr. B. T. Bhattacharyya, and Sri B. Bhattacharyya, have made valuable contributions to the study of Brahmanical, Buddhist, and Jaina Iconography, a critical and scientific study of the subject as a whole, particularly on the basis of available literary data as contained in different *Agamas*, *Puranas* and *Silpa-Sastras*, was a long-felt desideratum. Again, the study of Hindu Iconography in the light of the canons of paintings was never attempted before by any scholar, whether Indian or foreign. It was, therefore, felt by me as well as by the supplicant that a detailed study of the canons as preserved in Sanskrit literature, should also be made so as to make the dissertation as thorough, comprehensive, and useful as possible. Keeping all these facts in view and bearing in mind the furture needs of Indian Archaeology, I suggested to the supplicant the scheme on the basis of which his thesis has been written.