The Goddess Sarasvati in Pala Sculpture (8th–12th Centuries)

Indologists have always studied the images of Hindu and Buddhist gods such as Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma in sculptural arts, paintings, miniatures and temple decorations. Nevertheless, in the field of art history, there are not so many works dedicated to female goddesses in the context of art and culture, and this theme has only recently begun to gain attention in science. This paper examines the image of Goddess Sarasvati in the sculpture of Pala-Sena period (8th-12th centuries). It claims that the image of Sarasvati was formed completely during this particular period. It studies sculptures of Sarasvati which were made during this period and investigates them using iconographic research method and formal analyses in order to demonstrate the stylistic features and iconography of the Goddess Sarasvati in a particular period of time, after her image and iconography completed their formation. This study also deals briefly with the questions of image spread outside of Indian subcontinent, which can be investigated more fully in the future researches.