An Early Sculpture of Gaja~Laksmi From Patan that Until, recently, it was thought Nepal played second fiddle to India the field of artistic creation and consti- tuted a backwater where some remnants of India’s high artistic tide were feft_ marooned. Some scholars that the art of Nepal was of only secondary importance to the Gupta att of India, A comprehensive survey a fresh look, however, clearly show of Nepal has its own character with a history traceable from at le: Ist century A.D., apparently long before the Licchavi dynasty was founded in Nepal. maintained and that the art the Tt is somewhat Valley of Kathmanda with its surprising that the physical isolation should harbour sucha variety of icons whose antiquity goes back to the carly centuries of the Christian era. Recent discoveries of a number of carly images hitherto unknown to previous writers have shown indisputable evidence of early scul- Lain Shing Bangdel tures and subsequent icons display a consi- stant record of steady growth and high artistic achievements to its eredit down to the ith century A.D. A thorough study of established hat the folk cults of the Yakshas (local tutelary divinities), Nagas (serpents) and fertility goddesses (in the form of Matrikas or Divine Mothers) were as popu carly icons has lar in Nepal as in India around — the early centuries of the Christian era. A comparative study of the art of the two: countries shows that the early people were largely devoted to the cult-worship these divinities that developed of under a. socio-religious milien dominated by — the tribal culture, A cursory look at the early icons of India reveals that a sophisticated and clitist art geew up under the impact of Buddhism which gained popularity byintegeating the older folk divinities as acolytes or attendants of the Buddha or ‘of his symbolical presence. Thus a synte hhesis was created between the divinities ‘of higher religions and the folk deities, ‘or between a shophisticated cultuce and a tribal culture. ‘This process started — with. the rise of the Mauryan dynasty about the S:d century B.C. and continued — in full vogue until about the beginning of the Christian era, with the artof Maurya, Sunga, Satavahana and Kushana periods. ‘The earliest Yaksha image found in the Valley of Kathmandu (PL. 1) probably represents a similar synthesis between a higher and a lower religion. ‘As we know it now that the car Tiest sculpture of Nepal in anthropomorphic form, isthe remarkable torso of Yaksha, discovered a few years ago at Hadigaon ‘and now preserved in the National Museum, Kathmandu ? (Pl. 1). Thus the seulpteral art of both India aod Nepal begins with Yaksha images, Authorities like A. Ke Coomaraswamny and V. S. Agrawala have remarked that both Yaksha and Naga are aboriginal non-Aryan type. In remote past Yaksha was regarded as tutelary goblin of a bucolic spirit who inhabited fields, trees and forests. Mathura where images of almost alll cults formulated and concretised, was in~ deed the most important center of early Indian art, Here, we not omly find early }. Ramesh Jung Thapa, No.8, p: 12 (Kathmandu, Oct. 1970). Nepali Murtikala (Nepalese Sculpture)”, Ramjham, vol. 6, 42 Ancient Nepaf representation of Yaksha, Yakshi, Naga Tree-spirit and other folk divinities inclu ding Mother-Goddesses of anthropomorphic or mixed zoomorphic and anthropomor phie forms but also representation of, carly Buddhist and Brahmanical divinities such as Buddha, Bodhisattva, Vishnu, Laaksmi, Gaja-Laksmi, Siva, Skanda, Mahisamardini, Indra, Balarama, Varaha, Kubera, Hatiti, Ardhanarisvara and Sapia- matrikas. A few scholars have hinted that Mathura was the primary source of ins piration for the early art of Nepal, and this is indeed becoming clearer as more Nepalese seulputure specimens of early come to light. ‘The image of Laksmi from Chyasaltol, Patan (PL5) may be cited here as an example. Before dealing with the sculpture in question we shall first briefly discuss the evolution of the enit of Gaja-Laksmi. ‘Phe early Indo-Aryan Mother Godde- sscs are to be found in ring-stones which were worshipped as Sri-Chakra dating back to ca, 4th century B.C. Such ring-stones in which the Mother Goddesses were carved: in various forms and shows in full figures standing stiffly with large ci fiem breasts, heavy and large hips, and with two straight arms dangling, have been discovered in Taxila, Kausambi, Mathura, rculay easrings, Rajghat, Rupar and Basar, Mother godde-ed Idee ich ack ved Pgs, and dde- 6 An Barly... ‘sser_were later associated with and identi- fied as Sti-Devi, Sri-Ma, Sri-Laksmi, the ‘supreme universal deity and spouse of ‘Vishnu. Thus, Goddess Sri or Sri-Laksmi was regarded as the goddess of wealth, A lows became her symbol and main attri- bute. She was represented either sitting or standing on a lotus and as a very popu Jar deity she became the Goddess par excellence and was regarded, as boro from water —a symbol of fertility and abundance. She was the giver of — wealih and food, and thus she also became the Goddess of prosperity to her devotees. One of the earliest — representations of Sri-Laksmi under the name of Sitima— Devata is found in the art of | Bharbut belonging to the 2nd century BC. A terracotta figurine of Sri-Laksmi datable to the Ist century B.C. was recently discovered from the excavation of Tilaus rakot, Nepal,! (PI. 2). Here, goddess Sri Laksmi is shown standing in tribhanga pose and cross-legged ona lange full-blown lotus in a tank encirled by a railing. A similar tersacotta figurine of | Sri-Laksmi was discovered from the ruins of Kavsambi, India®, The discovery of a number of images of — this goddess in stoue and terracotta reflects the popularity of the cult of Sri-Lakemi, From about the 2nd century B. C. goddess Sri- Laksmi was represented as Gajax Laksmi and this form of the god. des frequently occurs in seals, coins and B stone reliefs of Sunga and early Kushana periods (PI. 3). The most interesting representation of Gaje-Laksmi is with two elephants, one on each side, pouring water over her head from an inverted jar held in cach trunk (Line-drawing Figs. 1,2,3). Possibly one ef the earliest represen tations of Gaja-Lakemi in Indian art is to be found in the fragment of a torana architrave from Kausambi, now preserved in the Allahabad Museum (PI, 4), datable to the 2nd century B.C. This goddess is shown standing om a large lotus with her right hand raised in abhayamudra and hher clenched left hand placed on her hip. From the lotus on which the goddess stands, three long lotus stalks issue on each side and on each of the middle and tallest stalk stands an elephant — bathing the goddess with water from long-necked jar held in its trunk, The lower garment of the goddess is diaphanous. and is secured by 2 girdle of a single beaded string. She is wearing heavy earrings, a necklace consisting of a single strand of large beads falling between the breasts, coiled bracelets and large anklets. The tallest pair of lotus stalks in the above sculpture bear seed-pods at the top. Such lotus seed-pods ,whereon stand two elephants, have flat tops and are rarely depicied in the early art of India. iy dep 1.B K. Rijal,“Exeavation and other archaeological activities in Tilaurakot, Ancient Nepal, No. 26, January, 1974 2.8.0. Kala, Terracotta Figurines from Kausambi, Pl. XX 1.“4 Interestingly enough, an image of Gaja-Laksmi, almost identical not only in form but also in iconography to that of Kausambi Gaja-Lakemi mentioned above, is known from Chyasaltol, Patan (PI. 5). ‘The discovery of this image constitutes the earliest sculpture of — Gaja-Laksmi found in the Valley of Kathmandu which means this is the first record of this divi- nity in Nepal. Although this Gaja— Laksmi is one of the most important images of Nepal, it has never been properly identified? or discussed in print. It is entirely possible that this sculpture is the sole example of Gaja-Laksmi in this form in the Valley of Kathmandu for, no images of Gaja-Laksmi have been found in the Licchavi or the post Licchavi periods, let alone in the art of Malla period. Like the Gajs-Laksmi of Kausambi, the Gaja-Laksmi of Chyasaltol stands in samabhanga pose with her fect apart similar. to the Kushana images (Line-drawing Fig. 6). She is wearing a necklace consisting of a single strand of beads, anda diaphanons garment. Massive anklets, like those of the female deities of the Kushana period and also of the early female divinities of Nepal, are conspicu- ously visible on her feet. Her 100, are identical to that of Laksmi from Mathura Museura belonging to the Kushana period (P1.6). The central folds of her Ancient Nepal garment are gathered into a decorative: fold as seen in a number of early icons. of the Valley. A three-fold sash falls diagonally from left to right making a “U’ shaped turn on the left, a feature to be seen in the easly art of Mathura (Line-drawing Figs. 6, 9). Two mutilated figures, apparently devotees, are kneeling with folded hands. on either side of her feet. The face of Gaja-Laksmi is partly broken and abraded. A full-blown lotus which the goddess is holding in her left hand is identical to that of Laksmi referred to above (PI. 6). Her right hand, vaised as if in abhaya~ a lotusebud. Her broad and heavy hips are indeed, reminiscent of the ‘Mother Goddess from Mohenjodaro or the Indo-Aryan Mother Goddess found in the ring-stones. mudra, holds Other striking similarities between the Chyasaltol Gaja-Laksmi (PI. 5) the Gaja-Laksmi from Mathura Museum (Line-drawing Fig. 7) are the modelling of the face, the the — coiffenr, the diagonal sash and the above all the pattern. ‘of the lotnses which the goddesses hold in theie left hands. Both the Goddesses posture. and earrings, Due is not aware the first ight standing in their hierartic to these likenesses, one who of the early Nepalese sculpture in Christian centuries of the era 1. When this image was first discovered about a decade ago, it was partly submer- ged was blocked and the entire fountain court was filled with rain water tly, the local people, out of their own donation, took charge in the water at the Chyasaltol waterspout. For over a year, the drainge Very recens of renovating the waterspout thereby reinstalling the image of Gaja-Laksini in the present position, 2. Mary Slusser, Nepali Seulpture--New Discovery, Aspect of 1972, p. 102. Indian Art, Leiden.An Baily. ‘mistakenly assume that both images men= tioned above came from the same atelier. The distinctive hair-style of Gaja ‘Laksmi from Patan deserves close examina~ tion. ‘The tresses of the hair fall from entral bun and reach down to the ear. The lateral tresses are short, round and curved, shaped like sausages and constitutes the first appeatence of such aunique hair style in the early sculptures of Nepal (Line- ddcawing Figs. 14, 15, 16). In the early icons of India, we do not see a similar type of haiv-style, but a motif akin to this pattern is shown in the female divinities in Ma- thura-Kushana art. However, in most cases, this motif is shown as a conopy above the head which has been wron- sly identified by scholars as a Naga~ hood. In Nepal, this unique hait-style is entirely an innovation of Nepalese artists. A careful study of the early art of the Valley has revealed that a number of early female divinities, including Hariti-Sitala from Balaju! and Mother Goddess from Koraltol, Hadigaon, have similar hair-#yle. These are the early female divinities which may be assigned to the late 2nd or early 3:d century A.D., on the basis of a compara tive study with the Mathura~Kushaoa art ‘of India. Another signifcant feature of the carly images of the Valley is the heavy anklets worn by female divinities, The Gaja-Laksmi from Patan and the Hariti~ Sitala from Balaju as well asthe Mother 45 Goddess from Haugal, Patan have ‘heavy and conspicuous anklets. Tt must be further added that in the art of Mathura and western India of the Kushana period almost all female divinities are shown wearing heavy anklets, indeed a ubiquitous feature of the early art of Mathura, In Nepal, too, early female divinities wear heavy anklets like those of Mathura (Line- drawing Figs. 6, 7, 8 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). Scholars with conservatives views may not agree’, it would nevertheless seem that heavy anklets worn by female divinities is undoubtedly one of the carly features of Nepalese art for, such heavy and doughnut like anklets are never seen in any female deity of Licchavi or post-Licchavs period. Hence, this motif must be regarded as a pre-Licchavi feature. It is manifestly clear from the above discussion that there are pre-Liechavi motifs to be seen in the early art of Nepal, viz. the lotus seed-pods (Line-draw- ing Figs. 4, 5), massive anklets, diagonal sash. and of course the sepresentation of Gaja- Laksmi itself. This shows that the Valley of Kathmandu was directly or indirectly in touch with the Gangetic Valley of India from remote past. Now it must be emphasized that the stylistic affinity between the early deities of Nepal and those of the Kushana period allows us to assign a fairly accurate date of the early art of Nepal. As cited already, the Gaja-Laksmi from Patan has undoubtedly close affinity with the early sculptures of Mathura of 1. P. Pal, The Arts of Nepal, Part I, Sculpture, Leiden/Koln, 1974, Fig. 58. 2. Mary Slusser, op. cit, p. 99. y P.===————[S[== == the Kustiana period, both in” stylistic trea~ tivent as-well as iconography. Thus 8 eloie comparision with its counterparts in India. provides ample evidence on which the Gaja-Laksmi from Chyasattol, Patan can reasonably ‘be placed in the 2nd century A.D... Moreover, additional unpublished evidence recently discovered throws new ight ‘on the carly art. of Nepal which 46 Ancient Nepal may not only: add a new dimension to the study of the pre-Liechavi art but ‘also help us to establish a chronological framework for the sculptural -beritage — of Nepal beginning from the Yakstia image of Hadigaon of the Ist century A.D, to. the earliest inseribed Vishau-Vikranta images. of Lazimpat and Tilganga of A.D. 467. Pis. 3,4 Courtesy: Allahabad Museum (India). PI. 6. Courtesy: Mathura Museum (India).Ist century‘A. D. ‘Kathmandu, : 3 Z E “2 Bi, 1. Yaksha,= PI 43 |. 2, Sti-Laksmi, Tilaurakot (Nepal), Ist century B.C, Ancient NepalIn Barly... 49 Pl. 3. Gaja-Laksmi, Allahabad Museum (India), {nd Century B.C.Pl. 4, Gaja-Laksmi, Allahabad Museum (India), 2nd century B.C.Tn Early... PL.5. Gaja-Laksmi, Chyasaltol, Patan, 2nd century A.D.Pi, Laksmi, Mathura Museum, (India) Kushana Period.Ancient np 28 Early. 53 LINE-DRAWING FIGURES Fig. 1. Gaja-Laksmi from Bhashue (India), Ind century B.C. Fig.2. GajaLaksmi,Detail of a pillar, Sanchi (India), 2nd century B.C Fig’S. Gaja-Laksthi, Bodhgaya Stupa (India), 2nd century B.C. Fig. 4. Seed-pod (detail), Gaja-Lakemi, Allahabad :-Museum (India), - 2nd céntury B.C Fig. 5. Seed-pod (detail), Gaja-Laksmi from Chyasaltol, Patan, 2nd cen- tury A.D.Fig. 6. Anklets worn by Gaja-Laksmi, Max thura Museum (India), 2nd century AD. Fig, 2. Anklets worn by Gaja-Laksmi from Chyasaltol, Patan, 2nd century A.D. Fig: 8, Anklet worn by Gaja-Lakemi, Alla- habad Museum (India), 2nd century BG Fig. 9. Anklets worn by Female Figure, Max thura Museum (India), Kushaua Period.Fig. 13 Fig. 13. Anklets worn by Mother Goddess, Hauga! Bahal, Patan, nd century A. D.