Indian Antiquary Vol 47

SR No.: 032539
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 386
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ August, 19
sides by the figures of Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and Prithvi (The Earth Goddess). In a silver statuette of Vishņu discovered in the village of Churai in Bengal (given in plate No. 24, of Mr. R. D. Banerji's History of Bengal) the god is shown as standing upright and has over his head a sort of arch which seems to be made of hoods of ser pents. While there may be still some doubt as to the definite classification of this so-called Muchalinda sculpture, the statement that it is an image of Buddha cannot be held to have been established. On the lintel of the beautifully carved chlorite doorway of the temple well-known as a memorable production of Orissa art, is depicted the image of Sri or Maha Lakshmi, a fact which is sought to be made one of the strongest proofs of the theory of the Buddhist origin of Konarak ruins. The goddess Sri has been described in the Matsya Purana in the chapter dealing with the Sun God and other minor gods and goddesses (Chap. 26, Slokas 40 to 46) and it mainly agrees with the noticeable features of the deity ordinarily depicted in the sculptures. As Mr.
B. C. Majumdar has shown in one of his learned articles in the Bengali magazine, Sahitya (Sahitya 1312 B. S., p. 131-138), these Sri images are identical with Kamalátmikâ, one of the Dasamahavidyas of the Hindu Pantheon. It will appear from Mr. M. Chakravar. ty's learned notes on Dhauli and the caves of Udayagiri and Khancagiri (Caloutta, 1903), that the images of Sri, Gaja-Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi and pictures of trees, &c., are common alike to Hindus, Buddhists and Jainas. Even to this day trees, are represented in Jaina places of worship and Kalpadruma of the sacred lore 8 has by no means fallen into oblivion. Srimurtis are not peculiar only to Buddhist stúpas at Sanchi, but reproductions of these figures are met with in Orissa es in the Lakshmi temple in Jagannatha enclosure, Puri.
Mr. D. R. Bhandarkar, in the Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey, Western Circle, 1904, gives an interesting account of the Hindu temple of Narasimha Natha situated in another part of the province of Orissa. The temple which he escribes to 9th century or to an earlier period has got a chlorite door-frame somewhat resembling the one at Konarak and in the lintel is depicted the image of Lâkshmi and two female attendants bearing flyskips and over the head of the goddess are represented two elephants holding aloft two water-jugs in their trunks. Professor Bhandarkar referring to plate No. 1, and p. 71, of Fergusson and Burgess's Cave Temples of India, observes : "It is no wonder that Lakshmi image should be found on the lintel of the temple--as these are met with alike in the ancient Caves of Katak and the temples of Southern Orissa." Like the Svâstika, Sri or Kamalâtmikd figure seems to have been looked upon as a beneficient Bymbol and as such came to be adopted as a sort of conventional decoration by Hindu architecte, especially in connection with sacred places of worship.
The erotio sculptures at Konarak--the likes of which are also found in other Orissa temples have also been brought into requisition in the attempt to establish the Buddhist claims. These pairs of human figures in various attitudes (bandhas) are taken to be due to the influence of the Tantriks of the Left Path School. The pro-Buddhist
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सुबोवनां पीनगण्डां रक्कोडी कुचितध्रुवम् ॥ ४॥ पाश्र्व तस्याः स्त्रियः कार्बाधामर बपपाणवः। पचासनीपविष्ठातु पसिहासनस्थिता ॥४५॥ करिम्बां स्नाप्यमाना सी भृजाराम्बामनेकपः प्रक्षालवन्ती करिणी भूनाराभ्यां तथापरी ॥४॥
मत्स्यपुराणे प्रतिमालाणं नामेकषष्ठपधिकदिशाततमोऽध्याये 8 In Khåravela's inscription there is mention of & Kalpa Tree (in gold) given away by the Emperor with leaves on (JBORS., December 1917, p. 463). Mr. K. P. Jayaswal refers to Hemidri's Chaturvarga Chinta mari for description of this Mahada na (Danakhanda 5), a fact which seems to show that ceremopies of this kind like the conception of the tree itself were essentially Hinduistão in character,