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So far popularity is concerned next to Saivism, Vaishnavism deserves cur notice. From the standpoint of antiquity, the worship of Siva was prevalent in Indian society before the introduction of the worship of Vishnu. It is recorded that during the Gupta period Vaishnavism began to spread in Bengal and it found a strong footing 115 Quring the Pala period. The discovery of Vishnu images and the images relating to Vaishnavism from different parts of Bengal throw sufficient light on this point. This is further corroborated by inscriptional evidence. The usual representation of Vishnu is a standing figure with four hands holding his four well-known attributes. sometimes he is also accompanied by his two wives - Lakshmi and Sarasvati 116 However, a few separate images of Lakshmi and Sarasvati have been found in Bengal which suggest that both the goddesses 117 were worshipped as independent cult images. Many Vishnu images 114. Bhattacharya, G., Bangla Kavya Siva, Sarkar. A siva in Mediaeval Indian Literature 115. 116. 117* Ray, N.R., Op.cit., 2nd Part, pp. 632 634, 650 - 652 # Majumdar (Ed.). History of Bengal, pp. 402 f. Paul, P.La, The Barly History of Bengal, Vol 2, p. 92, N.R. Ray, Op.cit. 2nd Part, pp. 650 651 Majumdar (Ed.), History of Bengal, Vol. 1, pp. 439 拢.s Ray, N.R., op. cit., 2nd Part, p* 650 Op.cit

121 118 have been unearthed from ancient Tamralipta janapada. Here we are citing a few. 119 120 A mitilated four-armed Vishnu image on a lime-stone plaque of the 7th century A.D. or of the earlier period has been unearthed from Tilda, a place within the jurisdiction of the Tamralipta janapada. On the lower left hand of the image is eithura-Godapurusha or a God-devi and the other hands are damaged. Almost a similar Vishnu image on a slate-stone plaque has been found from the village Amdabad, P.S. Nandigram at the time of digging a pond, In the village Panna, P.S. Ghatal two mutilated slate-stone plaques bearing Vishnu image of the 7th - 8th centuries A.D. have been found. The Asutosh Museum contains two undamaged plaques of slate-stone bearing Vishnu image of the same periods (I. 3079 and T. 3688) which bear iconographic importance. The wide chest, elegant shoulder, varlegated flexibility of the whole body and beautiful halo of these two images undoubtedly remind us of the artistic excellence of the locality. P.C. Dasgupta is of the opinion that these two sculptural specimens have enriched the history of Bengal 122 art. 121 Among the stone images of Vishnu found from the present Tamluk Sub-division, mention may be made of the following. 118. Ghose, B., op. cit., p. 345 ; Jana, Y, op.cit., p. 240 246 1 Ghatak, A.C., Nandigram Itibritta, p. 68 ; Folklore, Vol. March, 1963, pp. 88 - 91 119. Medini-Sanskriti, 1st year, 1363 B.S., p. 20 120. Chatak, A.C.; op.cit., p. 68 121. Medini-Sanskriti, 1st year, 1363, B.S. p. 21 122. Ibid. p. 20

122 There are two standing images lying side by side in the temple of Vishnu-Hari popularly known as "Harir-mandir" at Tamluk town. These images are worshipped as Krishna and Arjuna. A legend is current centering the establishment of this temple and it is as follows. Once Arjuna, the third Pandava was defeated by Mayuradhwaja (some say his son Tamradhwaja), the ruler of Tamralipta janapada. The occasion arose when Mayuradhawaja challenged the Pandavas by arresting the horse of their Asvamedha sacrifice. Both Arjuna and Krishna were very much pleased to see the prowess of the King Mayuradhwaja and under the mediatorship of Krishna both Arjuna and Mayuradhwaja made friendship. As a mark of this friendship Mayuradhwal a made the images of Krishna and Arjuna and installed them by constructing a temple known as Vishnu-Hari at Tamluk. The original temple built by the king was thoroughly destroyed by the high tidal flow of the Rupnarayana. About five hundred and fifty years after the destruction of the original temple, a milk-woman constructed the present temple on the same spot. This dilapidated temple has been recently repaired. In place of the images of Krishna and Arjuna, two ancient Vishnu images are found - the left one may be dated to the ninth century A.D. and the right one may be dated to the eleventh century A.D..The left one is carved out from a single block of black touchstone. The upper and lower right hands of the image hold a conch-shell and a wheel respectively and the upper and the lower left hands hold a club and a lotus. The image is adorned with an elaborate jewellery namely ear-rings, necklace, armlets, etc. He also wears a 'tiara' on the fore-head and a yngopabita $3,

123 (sacred thread). The right one holds a club and a lotus in his right hands and a conch-shell and a lotus in his elft hands. Celestial expression on the face is prominant on both the images. Daily worship is performed in the temple of Vishmu-Hari, 123 In the village Srigauri (P.S. Nandigram) there is a fourarmed stone image of Vishnu (11th - 12th centuries A.D.) lying under a tree where the deity is regularly worshipped. Under the same Police Station a mutilated stone image of Vishnu is housed in a Brahmin family of Nandapur where the deity is worshipped 124 along with other deities everyday. This specimen belongs to 125 the Pala-period. A large stone image of the early Pala-period is placed under a Tamarind tree in the village Kalyanchak (P.S.Mahisadal). Daily worship of the deity is performed. In the village Syamsundarpur (P.S. Tamluk) there is a Vishnu image of the touchstone of the 11th century A.D. in the temple of Jhilengaswarl. The Asutosh Museum possesses a four-armed mutilated Vishnu head (T. 2059) collected from Tamluk town area. Now we shall discuss about the iconographical representations of Lakshmi as a separate cult divinity in the place of our study Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity has been profusely depicted on seals, coins, terracottas and stones since the early 127 period of history in three religious-systems of India. She has 126 123. Ghatak, A.C., op.cit., p. 68 124. C.f., Jana, Y, op.cit., p. 245 125% 126% Ibid. Ibid. 127. Ghosh, N. Concept and Iconography of the goddess of Abundance and Fortune in three Religions of India.

124 also been referred to in the literature of these religions 128 i.e. Hindgism, Buddhism and Jainism. Though primarily associated with Vishnu, she was and is still worshipped enthusiastically as an independent goddess by the Hindus. A few terracotta plaques depicting image of Lakshmi have been unearthed from our place of study which throw light on the prevalence of the worship of the goddess in the ancient period. The T.M.R.C. possesses two such images on terracotta plaque (Acc. Nos. 478 & 538) belonging to the sunga period.1 Both of them are mutilated. The first plaque -129 (No. 478) depicts frontally a female figure with ornamental head-dress. The figure holds in each hand a full-blown lotus hating a long stalk. On the border of the plaque are drawn floral designs. The presentation of "beauteous women clasping long stalks of lotuses" has been identified by P.C. Das Gupta as the goddess 130 -Si or Lakshmi". The second one (No. 538) is depicted on a dark grey-coloured plaque and the figure stands "akimbo and frontally, giving equal weight of her body on either leg. She wears a lower garment embroidered with floral designs together with varied ornaments on her person and holds long creepers with full-blown flowers. A small wing-like accessory is noticeable on the proper left shoulder and that on the right is missing due to mutilation. 6131 128. Ibid. 1.29* 130 131. Acc. Register of T.M.R.C. pp. 54, 59, of., Mandal, P.K. op.cite Table - 2. Serial No. 56 (P.47) and serial No.68 (p. 48) Das Gupta, P.C., ATT, p. 7. The same author draws Lakshmi's "analogy in the depiction of nude goddess Asherah en face grasping lily stalks on a class of oval pottery plaques from the Late Bronze Age levels of Tell Age levels of Tell Bait Mirsim in Palestine." (Ibid). Mandal, P.K., op.cit., p. 19

125 The Asutosh Museum also possesses one mutilated standing image of Lakshmi on a slate-stone plaque (T. 3428) collected from Tildah. The head of the image is mutilated but the elegant physical appearance of the image throws light on the artistic exuberance. 133 44) Besides these specimens, there are other specimens of the same period found from Tamluk and preserved in Private collections. 132 An iconographic representation of Gaja-Lakshmi on a fragmentary portion of an earthen vessel with knob designs (Acc. No. Pottery of the Gupta period deserves special mention here. The goddess holding a lotus in her left hand and an indistinct object in her right hand is depicted frontally and the portion below the waist is mutilated. In this form of Lakshmi, elephant is associated with the goddess. Here also we notice an elephant with uplifted trunk pouring water on the head of the goddess from either side. This is the abhisekha form of Lakshmi. This form of worship was popular to the mechant class in ancient India. The antiquity of this form of worship may be traced back to the 2nd century B.C. or earlier. The representation of various forms of Gaja-Lakshmi have been found on the terracottas, coins, seals and in the early reliefs of Bharut, Sanchi, Budhgaya, Manmodi and Orissa. The merchant community used to worship this form of Lakshmi with the prayers to the goddess for safe-journey of their boats carrying merchandise on the sea. 134 132. For details Ibid. p. 19 133. 134. Ghosh N, op.cit., p. 75 Majumdar R.C., History of Ancient Bengal,. p. 542 Ghose, N., op.cit. p. 75

126 As Tamralipta was a busiest city port in the ancient period, the goddess seems to be very popular to the business community of this place as evident from the collection of a representation of Gaja-Lakshmi on an earthen pot. This is no doubt a rare collection in the history of tertacotta art of Bengal. A-Gaj aLakshmi illustration on clay sculpture belonging to the Sunga period has also been found as a single piece of illustration so 135 far known to us. However, the author does not mention the place of its collection. Though separate images of Sarasvati of ancient period have not been found from our place of study, it may be conjectured from the discovery of images of the same period from other parts of 136 Bengal that the practice of worshipping the goddess as a separate cult divinity was in vogue incour place of study. Thus from the discovery of a number of Vishnu images for different places of Tamluk sub-division and of separate Lakshmi images points to the fact that Vaishnavism was a popular cult in the place of our study especially during the Pala-Sena period.