26 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XII* 



been included by Ghulain Husain in his History of Bengal. 

 However, his statements have been supported by a number of 

 Arabic inscriptions and hence there cannot be any hesitation 

 in accepting as historical facts the accounts given in Riyuz-us- 

 Salatin. But the case is different with Taranatha. Evidence 

 is not lacking which proves that accounts given by him are 

 mostly fictitious, rather than historical. 



Relying on the statements of Taranatha, which are mostly 

 contradictory and untrustworthy, Mr. Vincent A. Smith 

 writes: — "The Naga productions of Nagarjuna's time were 

 rivalled by the creations of Dhlman and his son Bitpalo, na- 

 tives of Varendra (Bengal), who lived during the reigns of 

 Devapala and Dharmapala. Both father and son were skilled 

 alike as painters, sculptors and bronze-founders. Bitpalo, who 

 remained in Bengal, was regarded as the head of the Eastern 

 School of Bronze-casting. But his disciples in painting being 

 numerous in Magadha (South Bihar) he was also held to be the 

 chief of the ' Later Middle Countrv' school of that art, whereas 

 his father was considered to be the head of the Eastern School 



of paintings. 1 " 



Mons. Foucher, in the course of his remarks, on the minia- 

 ture paintings on the MSS. Add. 1643, Cambridge, and A 15, 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal, says that the illuminators of these 

 MSS. were " tres suffisamment maitres de leurs moyens." To 

 this Mr. V. A. Smith adds, "If they date from the eleventh 

 century, they may represent the ' Eastern' School of Dhlman, 

 which, according to Taranatha, was favoured in Nepal at 



about that time.* " 



The only source of information to which Mr. Smith has 

 referred, in the above passages, is Taranatha's work. In no 

 inscription, neither in any copper-plate grant, are to be found 

 the names of Dhlman and Vltapala (or Bitpalo, as Taranatha 

 calls him). Mr. Aksaya Kumara Maitreya of the Varendra 

 Research Society in his introduction to the " Gauda-rajamala/ p 

 a Bengali work published by the Society, — probably follow- 

 ing Taranatha, says that in this age (during the reigns of Dhar- 

 mapala and Devapala) Dhlman and his son Vltapala of Var- 

 dendra enriched the Gaudian art by the production of the 

 finest specimens, and that these will be described in the " His- 

 tory of Art" to be published by the Varendra Research 

 Society. He further adds that the writers on the subject being 

 not so well-informed are in the habit of explaining them away 

 as specimens of provincial art of Magadha and Orissa of this 



age. 



The ■ ' History of Art ' 8 above referred to has not yet seen 

 the light of day. But on the occasion of the visit of His Ex- 



l History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, p. 305, 

 * Ibid. , p. 324. 



