The Age of the Imperial Guptas c9.93

c9.93

The best examples of the Pāṭaliputra school are the fragmentary pillars from Rajaona, in which the lower parts are perfectly plain and square but the centre bears two projections on each face. Each of the faces of the lower projection bears a panel enclosed within raised rims. These panels have a small pilaster on each side and contain bas-reliefs; Bhagiratha praying before Śiva on Kailāsa, the Ganges coming to the earth on her Vāhana, a Makara, Arjuna receiving the boon from Śiva and then seeing Śiva and Pārvatī on Kailāsa, etc. Just above the projection there is a smaller projection, also oblong in shape, containing a regular semi-circular medallion and arabesque foliage in the triangular spaces left between the periphery of the circle and the sides of the pillar. The majority of the semi-circular medallions contain horned lions' heads or Kīrttimukhas but some bear winged figures or Suparṇas, whose lower parts end in magnificent spirals of arabesques.¹ The two or three pillars discovered during the recent excavations of the temple of Daśāvatāra at Deogadh perhaps score distinct merit as being larger than any others belonging to the Gupta period. In decoration they are exactly identical but much taller than the Rajaona, Bhumra or any of the Benares pillars. The style of art is perhaps slightly degenerate compared with that of Bhumra, but in point of execution of the bas-reliefs, those of the Pāṭaliputra school are undoubtedly the best.