70 Hava Prasad Shastri — On the MS. of Ramacarita. [March, 



only four when drawn on a plain surface. In Benares, I am told, the 

 greaf Gane^a Dhundhiraja has replaced a six-headed figure of the same 

 deity. 



After giving the fifty names of the paktis of Gane^a the commentary 

 proceeds to say that all the paktis have some common attributes, 

 two of which are to the point in this connection here, namely, that the 

 paktis sit, on the lap of Gane^a and that they are furnished with 

 wreatlies of red flowers ; now, here the pakti is on the leffc lap of Gane9a 

 the appropriate seat for a wife. One of Gane5a's thick set feet is out- 

 side her figure. The flower wreath is very prominent on her chesfc. 

 She has a separate lotus seat. This furnishes a complete explanation 

 of the details as given in the drawing. 



But on an examination of the original Turquois figure Gane^a 

 seemed to possess eight hands four on each side. In Bengal Gane9a 

 has four and sometimes even two hands. But in Nepal the number 

 of hands depends on the imagination of the Carver who may attribute 

 any number of attributes to his deity. I have seen Gaue9a with 18 

 hands and other deities, too, with any even number of hands. 



The short and thick set legs pointed out to me that the Turquois 

 figure was made in Nepal for in Northern India the limbs have a 

 human proportion and in South India the most prominent feature of 

 Gane9a is his belly. In fact, when I stood in front of a huge figure of 

 Gane9a at the outer entrance of the great Temple of Yisnu Kanci my 

 guide, naively, told me " what you do not seem to recognise this god, he 

 is our great Belly God, Ganefa." 



Mr. Maconochie, the Under-Secretary to the Revenue and Agricul- 

 tural Department has subsequently assured me that his vendor got the 

 figure from Nepal. He deserves the thanks of the Society for lending 

 his valuable stone for exhibition to-night. 



The following paper was read : — 



On the manuscript of a work on the biography of one of the Pdla- 

 Kings of Magadh, Ram Pal. — By Mahamahopadhtaya Hara Prasad 

 Shastri, M.A. 



(Abstract.) 



Ramacarita by Sandhyakara Nandi, Eleventh Century. 



Ramacarita may be said to be one of the most interesting finds. 

 It is the first really historical manuscript found in Eastern India. It 

 treats of the life and times of Ramapala Deva one of the Pala Kings 

 of Gaud. Raraapala is known from inscriptions to have been the son 



