Outside of one of two covers of a Cambridge University Library manuscript of the Buddhist Tantric text Kalacakratantra,
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Pal, Pratapaditya
Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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Abstract
Description
3 successive scenes of left show the worship of a hare, a goose and a peacock. As all three are on pedestals, may be some sort of totemism or of esoteric symbolism. Immediately after the dividing motif of the lotus a nimbate [sic], crowned figure stands in rigid, hieratic pose flanked by 2 adoring males. Then 3 animals with brown skin spckled with black who appear to be tigers, one perhaps chasing a man who is possibly climbing a tree. Subsequently another tiger appears, and the 2 animals fight. If [the] man is resting against the tree, however, may represent the Jataka story where the Bodhisattva offered himself to a hungry tigress who was about to devour her cubs. Then tiared [sic] figure who appears to have gashed his head with sword, the blood being drunk by sucimukhas. Then a crowned, nimabte [sic] figure seated on a lotus, fanned by 2 attendants. -- which, according to the colophon, was written in Bihar in the 15th cent. 128 palm leaves (13 1/4 x 2 1/4) written in Bengali script.
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Archives Series
Basham Collection
Date created
1965
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This item is provided for research purposes. Contact the Australian National University Archives at butlin.archives@anu.edu.au for permission to use.
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