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[Full title: Major Female Divinities (4) Vaikuntha Vaisnavi (Fig. 6.4)]

One of the most beautiful image of the present collection of the site museum is the Vaikuntha Vaisnavi. It is interesting to find that the existence of the image of this goddess is totally unknown to the entire aesthetic circle of north-east India. The aesthetic exposition of this image look to be an out come of Tantric influence. The notion to the Tantric philosophy is primarily based on the concept of god through motherhood, with the empasis on Sakti. 143 In other word, it can better be referred as an attempt to blend the concept of Siva and Sakti into one, in which Siva is always be regarded as the father and Sakti as his consort. During the medieval period, Tantra and its practice have caused a great deal of impacts almost on every strata of the Hindu society, notably in Bengal, Assam, Kashmir and also in some parts of south India. The high appreciation of Tantric ideology have received their primary elaboration with the mystic literature. Under such circumstances 142. Bandopadhyay, B: Op-cit, 1981, p.38. 143. Bandopadhyay, P.: The Goddess of Tantra, 1987, p.5.

125 the Vaisnavas have lost their ground specially in the societies of pro-Tantric regions and they almost to retreat to an alien stand. So a natural sentiment was there to coup themselves with the popular current of the societies of that time. Using the same medium, the Vaisnavas also tried to introduced themselves with some mystic element where they emphasized on Vaisnava Sakti. Vaikuntha Vaishnavi is to be an outcome of this sentiment of the Vaisnava sect. The myth relating to the origin of this deity stated that 144 Lord Krishna, during the time of his Sisulila when punishing Kaliyanaga for his work, his wives prayed Krishna in the name of Rama, Pradiyumna, and Aniruddha to excuse him. All of them are the other name of Vasudeva. This to have germinated the concept of Vishnu Chaturmurti with four arms, four faces, the front face is of a human, other two faces on the two side are of lion and boar while the fourth one is hidden. The 145 Vishnudharmottara Purana' have further stated that Vaikuntha in the human form should be made of four faces or the god of four aspects. Of the central faces-one is in human countenance and other remain hidden; while the two other faces of the central two are of a lion head, acknowledging the aspect of knowledge, and of a boar, referring to Pradiyumna, symbolising human power. This led to the emergence of the concept of Vaikuntha Vaisnava and his female counter part Vaikuntha Vaisnavi. The Tantric text the Jayadrathayamala, a stream of the Brahmayamala have provided a beautiful description of an independent image mother Vaisnavi and accordingly, she should be a four handed deity with a charming 144. Dutta, M. : Op-cit, 1990, p.109. 145. Sastri, S.N. Ghoshal Op-cit, 1983, p.186.

146 126 face holding a conch cell, a whelled weapon and a club in her hands and seated on the back of the king of bird. Thus, the two concept -the anthropromorphological form of Vaikuntha and the ideal of Vaishnavi when mingled together, formed a supra-natural deity Vaikuntha-Vaishnavi. a) Condition: Thus, the exceptionally good conditioned sculpture (Comparing to other sculpture), now conserved to the site museum at Madan-Kamdev have beared the following iconographical traits: slightly eroded facial countenance, two lower hands of this four handed deity, both legs of the seated image have now been completely damage (a portion of the right leg still survived). The natural erosions have also caused a severe damaged to the sign of the dead body under the seat of the deity. b) Length: 112 cm c) Posture: d) Seat: e) Hands: f) Emblems:i) Width - 61 cm difficult to identify, but as if in refined Maharaja lilasana a sign of a dead man whose body has been eaten by a fox from the right side and by two birds from the left side. four Upper left hand - a Pasa ii) Upper right hand - a club or gada. g) Face: 146. Ibid. four, the central human face is being flanked by a lion head on the right side and by a boar head from the left.

* 127 Thus, the sculpture can better be confirmed as the image of Vaikuntha Vaishnavi. Here the image of a dead body on the seat of the deity along with the sign of a fox and two birds on each side seems to be a later appropriation to the concept of Vaikuntha Vaisnavi. Kiritamukuta, rectangular beaded necklace, chain, wrist bengles (Stretching almost from ankles to the wrist) armlets, string like waist gridles with naramundamala are some of the general ornamental item observed on the body of this sculpture. The dignity of the sensuous representation still continued with diaphanous garment. Physiognomy : The robust bodily form with sinuous lines is the characteristic feature of this sculpture. 147 The face almost of a betel leaf shape with a thick sensuous pair of lips and probably of close eyes (erosion have made it difficult to identify) have duly highlighted the calm and contemplative sentiment of the image. 148 Slightly sloping shoulder, heavy rounded breast, elongated torso with an animated fleshy abdomen have exposed the sensuous qualities of a fully grown woman and on the other hand the smooth texture of the plastic surface of the image have clearly referred to a sophisticated classical idiom. However, the image though have sensuous fleshy character but it is more refined, infesting a sublime beauty to the composition. The beauty of the lion head on the right side of this four headed deity refreshing us almost with 147. Dutta, M. : Op-cit, 1990, p.97. 148. A 10 th century feature Ibid, p.80.

128 the delicacy of the Mauryan column. The sinuous stress to the tips of the fingers have further exposed the aesthetic sensitiveness of this composition. Though sinuosity is the main character of this sculpture but in many occasion the curves specially on the edges of the body have slightly been eased. Thus, giving a gliding linear sensation to the sculpture, it however never gives up its heavily rounded volume. Another interesting point to observe is that a sensible perity is being maintained in the execution of broad chest and the waist, which have duly referred to the use of an expertite hand in composing the sculpture. Coming to the point of chronology, number of option are there, as stated above, to call it as being a product of 10 th/11 th century rather than 11 th/12 th century A.D.