176 Journ. of the Asiat. Soc. of Bengal. [May & June, 1915. 
as that followed in the worship of Ganesha or Ganapati, who 
is looked upon as the origin of success in every undertaking 
and destroyer of all evils.. 
The origin of Dakshindar is obscure. No account of itis 
to be found in the Vedas or Puranas. There are different 
account says that while Ganesh was born, all gods came to 
pay him a visit. But when Shani (Saturn or Cronos), the 
brother of Durga, mother of Ganesh, came and saw his 
Dakshin Rai. He scoured the Sunderbuns several times 
and bagged each time such a large number of tigers that his 
sight became a terror to the tigers of the Sunderbuns. _ A third 
account says that Dakshindar is one of the good spirits 
( Pramathas), a follower and agent of Shiva. The fact that 
Bengal, most of whom are of mixed descent, being partly 
Aryan and partly aboriginal, shows that it is one of the relies 
of aboriginal rites which has come down and that, subsequently, 
to invest it with a semblance of the authority of the Shastra, 
the missing head of Ganesh has been introduced by some Brakmin 
The shape of the idol is that of an ordinary earthen ve* 
sel with a crown at the top. The crown, which is usually 
nostrils, lips and gums are painted red. The crown is #) — 
painted with black and red and in some cases with black only. — 
ship, most probably in fear lest the terri ya 
errible effect of the 4? 
pearance should be reduced: e size of the idol usually 
gp from 3 inches to 5 feet in height and from 2 inches . 
+ feet in breadth, _The idol, when very small, is generally 
n. 
P The specimen, figured 1 and 2, is from Boral (2 miles | 
rom Garia, a station of the E.B.S.R., Southern Section) 
ie was presented to the Indian Museum in 1914 by Mr. <7 
ones. Its actual dimensions are as follows :— 
