The Age of the Imperial Guptas c7.56

c7.56

The earliest example of a Śaiva sculpture belonging to the Gupta period has been found at Mathura. The second is the figure of Mahiṣamardinī in the cave at Udayagiri near Sanchi excavated in G.E., 82,⁵ with those of the Seven Mothers. The third instance is the temple dedicated by Virasena.¹ The fourth instance is the *Linga* dedicated under the name of Pṛthivīśvara by Pṛthivīṣeṇa, the minister and commander-in-chief of the emperor Kumāragupta II, which is now preserved in the Lucknow Museum. It is the only known instance of a *Linga* belonging to the Gupta period which is neither a natural *Linga* nor a *Mukha-liṅgam*.² It was dedicated in G.E. 117. The Bilsad pillar inscription of the year 96 mentions the dedication of a temple of Mahāsena or Kārtikeya at Bilsad in the Eta district and this may also be counted among instances of Śaiva temples and images.³ The *Nāma-liṅgam* mentioned in the fourth Damodārpur plate is the next instance.⁴ The most beautiful Śaiva sculptures, with the exception of those discovered at Benares, were found at Kaman, whence they have been removed during recent years to the Ajmer Museum. Such is the great *Caturmmukha-liṅgam* with figures of Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Śiva, and Sūrya on its four sides. The earliest bas-relief representing the marriage of Śiva and Pārvatī discovered in India also came from Kaman to this Museum. The remaining examples of Śaiva sculptures are the *Mukha-liṅgas* discovered by the writer at Khoh and Bhumra in the Nagod State. The Khoh and the Bhumra *Liṅgas* are *Eka-mukha-Liṅgas*. The Khoh specimen is undoubtedly one of the best specimens of portraiture ever discovered amongst specimens of Gupta art.¹ It is certainly far superior in this respect to the gigantic *Eka-mukha-Liṅga* discovered in the interior of the temple at Bhumra.² The use of natural *Liṅgas* appears to have ceased before the beginning of the Gupta period proper, because all *Liṅgas* which can be definitely assigned to the Gupta period are either plain shafts or *Eka-mukha* and *Caturmmukha-Liṅgas*.