国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

no explanation has, so far, been found. Fish matsya is one of the five elements

or ms involved in the Sakti ritual, preliminary to attainment of freedom from

passion; and in Bengal, the Mahánirvána Tantra recommends for sacrificial pur-

poses three kinds of fish said to be characteristic of that region (Eliot, Hinduism

and Buddhism, vol. ii, p. 278 n.).

The general colour scheme is similar to that in plate xx, but a few details of

the costumes on this plate may be noted. The gorgets are quilted green within the

yellow (gold) scrolled borders. The loin-cloth of the centre and right-hand figures

is chequered with double lines and dots, red on buff. On the flowing ends of their

lower stoles are flat, silver tags. The close-fitting tunic of the dákini on the left is

red-brown, that of the centre grey, and that of the third brick-red.

,1

Bez. v. I

This fragment of a dákini figure from the north wall of the shrine is similar to

the others on the plate, but not so well proportioned, and, like those, is progressing

towards the cult figure at the west end of the cella. Of emblems the vajra alone is

visible, the lower end resting on the fish.

She is dressed in green, with a jewelled girdle partly covered by a white kamar-

band tied in a butterfly bow from which a long pleat hangs down to the level of the

ankles. Her dhoti is yellow shaded with red and bordered with green, resembling

that of the dákini-like figure in Bez. iii. W—Y on plate xvi. The bright red skirt

is contoured with white, as is also the grey sash round the hips. From the green

elbow frill the arm is covered with a dull pink sleeve. The boots are yellow,

figured with red. The upper side of the fish is green and the under side yellow.

Bez. x. G—H

The whole of the vaulted roof was covered with a diaper of these seated Buddha

figures. The work is rough and perfunctory; the drawing, especially of the drapery,

very stylized and crude. The flesh is pale with black outlines; the hair grey against

pink nimbi bordered with green and buff. The robes are pinkish-red outlined with

dark red, and the under robes are grey bordered with pink. The vesicas are alter-

nately white with grey rays and pale green with green rays, surrounded by shaded

pink and buff. Padmásanas are alternately shaded grey and shaded purple-pink, with

green centres. The background is light brick-red, with flowers coloured like the

padmásanas.

78