পাতা:আশুতোষ স্মৃতিকথা -দীনেশচন্দ্র সেন.pdf/২১৮

the history that he has built up embraces practically every phas e of ot1r national life, political, religious, economic, literary, art- . istic, etc. He speaks of the rise and fall of dynasties, their conquests, triumphs and defeats, the origin and development of universities and other centres of learnin g, the saints and scholars of Bengal, organizers and leaders of social and cultural movements, her arts and crafts and industries, folklore, sports and dance, her navy and architecture, religious transformations and upheavals, intellectual subtleties, domestic life and ideals, love, romance, racial assimilation, local feuds, patronage to arts and letters and various other subjects too numerous to mention. That which has considerably enhanced the value of the శ్యా are more than three work is its wealth of illustrations : there hundred of them scattered in the two volumes. Among these there are scenes depicting the victory of Vijaya over the Yaksha Kalasena and his coronation in Ceylon, portraits of Rahula, son of Buddha, Sari putra, Maudalyayana, and Atisa Dipankar, of Alexander, the Great, Puru, Asoka, Kaniska, Sasanka and many Other rulers, pictures of various deities, Buddhist and Brahmanical, of animals (stone, terra cotta and wooden figures), of chariots, muslins, jewellery, al pana, embroidered mattresses and cloths, painted book-covers and various other specimens of indigenous, art illustrating scenes and episodes from Bengal's domestic life, They were collected from various sources, and it can be said: without contradiction that perhaps there is hardly "y other, book o11 Indian history which presents such an excellent ahd represeir tative compilation from the point of view of art. Dr. Sen has, also made use of his own private collection, which judge from some of the illustrations given, 111ust be of unique excellence and rare value. As hie says in his Introduction, this has already beeti transferred to Tipperah to form the nucleus of a museum to be set up by its preseut enlightened chief.