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JAIN JOURNAL
the north-western part of Midnapore, with extensions into the districts of Singhbhum and Ranchi of the Chhotanagpur Division of Bihar, represents a characteristically common trait in the icono-plastic art,18 which is somewhat removed from the main-stream of the Pala art.14 Here, the stone is more coarse grained 15 and occasionally porous offering little scope for metallic sharpness as usually found in the more well known examples of Pala art. In respect of modelling of the body these sculptures are in general more roboust and forceful than merely graceful or lyrical.16 Stylistically, the specimens of this region betrays quite a distinct idiom, a strong remnant of classical tradition mingled with migrating art forms of Varendra, Magadha, and Khiching, held together and inspired by the canonical tradition of the Nirgranthas.
The author would like to express his gratefulness to the President, Sri Sarak Jaina Samiti, Kharkhari, district Dhanbad, Bihar, for kindly permitting him to publish the sculptures under discussion; to his teacher Sri Santosh Kumar Bose, Head of the Department of Museology, University of Calcutta, for help and guidence while preparing this paper ; to Dr. Atul Chandra Bhowmick, Lecturer of the same Department for having found time to accompany him to Anai-Jambad and helping him with useful suggestions during field work. The photographs published here are through the courtesy of Sri Sarak Jaina Samiti, Kharkhari, district Dhanbad, Bihar.
18 For Jain sculptures discovered from this region see among others, A. Ghosh
(Ed.), Jaina Art and Architecture, Vol. I., New Delhi, 1974, pp. 155-158, pl's 83A, 84,92A ; Vol. II, New Delhi, 1975, pp. 263-265, pl's 156A, 158, 159; J. D. Beglar, Report of a Tour through Bengal Provinces in 1872-73, Archaeological Survey of India Reports, Vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1873 ; D. K. Chakraborty, "A Survey of Jaina Antiquarian Remains in West Bengal", Brochure on Jaina Art, Bharat Jain Mahamandala, Calcutta, 19565 ; "Jainism in Bihar”, Jain Journal, Vol. III, No. 4, Calcutta, 1969, pp. 152-156 ; “Jainism in Bengal", Ibid, pp. 162-163 ;D.R. Patil, The Antiquarian Remains of Bihar, Patna, 1963; H. Coupland, Bengal District Gazetters, Manbhum, Calcutta, 1911 ; David J. Mc Cutchion, "Notes on the Temples of Purulia", District Census Handbook, Purulia, West Bengal, Calcutta, 1961 ; Debala Mitra, "Some Jaina Antiquities from Bankura, West Bengal”, Journal of the Asiatic Society, Letters, Vol. XXIV, Calcutta, 1958, pp. 131-134, pl's I-X; Subhas Mukhopadhyay in a series of articles in Bengali entitled "Puruliar Purakirti” published in Chatrak, Purulia, from the 4th number, 3rd
year, 1380 B.S., onwards. 14 See, R. D. Banerjee, Eastern Indian School of Mediaeval Sculpture, Archaeolo
gical Survey of India, New Imperial Series, Vol. XLVIII, Delhi, 1933, pp. 144145. Stella Kramrisch has excluded the Chhotanagpur region from the ambit of Pala-Sena art. See her, 'Pala and Sena Sculpture', Rupam, Calcutta, October,
1929, p. 109. 15 R. D. Banerjee, op. cit., p. 145. 16 Sri P. C. Dasgupta has made a comparison between two Parvati images pre
served in the State Archaeological Museum, West Bengal, one hailing from Ambikanagar, Bankura, and the other from West Dinajpur, which illustrate the point well. See Dasgupta, op. cit., p. 39.
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