21st November 1980
pm With Mr Dasgupta (of State Archaeological Museum). Met Sri Pranab Roy (who sends his regards to George Michell). We discussed Sakta, Vaishnava etc temples and Roy has done a lot of work on temples though he is also a student of Sanskrit. He said that there are very few Sakta temples and he doesn't think dalans are very old nor the clay images, early 17th c. He even says that Kavikankana Chandi was written 1601-9 (?). He agreed that stone sculptures (not sculptors specifically) came from Rajasthan-Mathura, Brindaban. But he said that the images of Kali and Durga in the temples are generally of stone. However, he mentioned the temple at Palpara (Nadia) and Atpur (Hooghly) as being Kali temples of interest. The image at Malancha, Kali temple Kharagpur, is of stone.
Dasgupta said that the Chandnis resembled the flat-roofed Gupta temples cf temple No18 at Sandhi (pillars) and that these in turn were influenced by the Athenian form.
In am met Subir who told me the verse about Pratapatidya. He also told me to look up mrinmoyi in Panini's grammar and to look at Abhigana Sakuntalam trans by M.R.Kale and by Gajendragatkeu also Pratimanatakm by Bhasa. Met Ghosal, prof of Sanskrit Cal University who thinks Devi Purana from Kamrup is quite late and insignificant-the Tarkaratna translation is no good. Also am bought Durga pat Rs25 Ram-Sitapat Rs 25, Math Chauni Rs30 and Rashlila Rs20. Shyam Babu did the pats.
22nd November 1980 - Krishnanagar + Nabadwip
23rd November 1980 - Krishnanagar + Shantipur
26th November 1980 - Mecheda + Tamluk
30th November 1980 - Krishnanagar