National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

no explanation has, so far, been found. Fish—matsya—is one of the five elements
or ms involved in the Śakti ritual, preliminary to attainment of freedom from
passion; and in Bengal, the Mahānirvāṇa 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 ḍākinī on the left is
red-brown, that of the centre grey, and that of the third brick-red.

Bez. v. I

This fragment of a ḍākinī 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 dhotī is yellow shaded with red and bordered with green, resembling
that of the ḍākinī-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. Padmāsanas are alternately shaded grey and shaded purple-pink, with
green centres. The background is light brick-red, with flowers coloured like the
padmāsanas.

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