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AUGUST, 1918) ALLEGED BUDDHIST INFLUENCE IN THE SUN TEMPLE AT KONARAK 219
heliolatry in the Gwalior inscription of Mihirakula, now in situ in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, which records the erection of a Sun temple by this blood-thirsty son of the White Hun Toramana, in the 15th year of his reign, i.e. about 4. D. 530. (Fleet No. 37.) Mr. D. R. Bhandarkar in his interesting progress report of the Archeological Surrey, W. Circle, 1905-06, pp. 51-52, describes a 7th century Sun temple at Basant gach in Sirohi, and a 8th century one at Osiah in Jodhpur State, both of which are rich in artistic sculptures. M. Langlés describes a Sun God in the peristyle or verandah of the cave at Ellora Djenouassa (Jânwâsâ)-a Saiva cave which may be ascribed to 8th or 9th century (Le toit du verandah ou peristyle sur les murailles du quel on a sculpte ... Souria (le soleil) tranée dans son char par sept chevaux, p. 89, Tome II).
There is an old Sun Temple at Gaya to the north of the Vishnupâda Temple, the sacred fane which contains according to Hindu belief the foot-print of Vishnu.10 The Sun in this temple is as usual shown as being drawn in a seven-horse car. The image is important in the sense that the sculptor has followed the description of the God as given in the Hindu scriptures instead of taking for his model the standing figure with two archer companions said to be an adoption of Greek Apollo found on an Akoka railing in Bodh-Gaya, to which reference has already been made.
If the Apollo model had no influence in determining the nature of the image at Gaya itself, it is not likely that it would have any influence on the 13th century artists at Konarak. Gaya is not the only place in Bihar containing traces of Solar worship. In an open courtyard inside the temple of goddess Pattanesvari, the guardian cleity, according to the local Hindus of the city of Patna, was found a big image of the Sun God.11
A twelfth century chlorite Sun image found at Rajmahal on the border of Bengal. has been thought deserving of a notice in Mr. V. Smith's History of Fine Art and Sculpture. In Bengal itself instances are not unknown of the Sun God being worshipped under a totally different naine as the result of forgetfulness or misconception on the part of local inhabitants. 12 Mr. Brajendra Nath Banerji in the Journal of the Sahitya Parishad. describes the so-called image of Shasthi (the guardian goddess of infants) worshipped at Chinsurah which is in reality an image of the Sun God with the usual top-boots and lotuses in both hands (Journal of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Vol. XVIII, p. 193 ). Mr. Nikhil Nath Roy in his history of Murshidabad, describes an image of a Sun God seated on a horse known as Gangaditya, which is still worshipped in the village Amarakudu, lying not far from Berhampore, the headquarters of the Murshidabad district. In the Kondi subdivision in the same district the Sun God is regularly worshipped at Jemo Rajbati, and also at Gokarna, Pâtândâ, under the name of Kusaditya (Journal of the Sahitya Parishad, Vol. XIV, p. 144). Not long ago the late Dr. Bloch discovered at Maldah the image of a Sun God of the Aditya class. Some of the Sen Kings of Bengal—who flourished before the Mahomedan conquest-'were Sun-worshippers and Kebava Sena in the Edilpur Grant (JASB., Vol. X, 1914, p. 103),
10 The shrine evidently belongs to Buddhist timen, and proves that Sun-worship Was even then in vigoro in existence. Lovide the temple is an inscription in the em of Buddha's
Incient Monuments of Bengal, p. 280. Above Vol. X, p. 341.) 1. The image is no longer worshipped and was lying neglected when the writer of this note visited the shrine with some delegates to the last Bengali Literary Conference held at Bunkipur,
12 It is interesting to note that lingering traces of heliolatrous rites are still to be observed in the Chhat (Sansk, Chhata ?] festival of Bihari and up-country women,
