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mango tree and holds a mango fruit and child in her hands. However, her elder son stands on right. The two other images of twoarmed Ambikā, found from Aluara (Dhanbad) and Nālandā, are preserved respectively in the Patna Museum (Acc. No. 10694) and the National Museum, New Delhi.? The figure from Aluara depicts Ambikā as standing in tri-bhanga. She is joined by her two sons and lion mount.
The two-armed figure from Pakbirà (Manbhūm) shows Ambikā with amra-lumbi and child (standing nearby). A bronze image of two-armed Ambikā from the forest Khadi-Pargana in the Sundarbana region of Bengal shows Ambikā as standing under mango creeper and as holding a child in her left hand and a bunch of mangoes in the right. On her right, there stands her second son alongwith lion."
Likewise the figures from Ambikānagar (Bankurā), Barkolā and Nalgorā (24 Parganas), show the two-armed Ambikā with lion mount. Ambika in these instances is either seated or standing in tribhanga on lotus seat and holds amra-lumbi and child in her two hands. The figure of her second son also appears in these instances. The younger son Priyankara holding the finger of Ambikā either sits in the lap or stands nearby. The 10th century bronze image from Nalgorā shows Ambikā as standing and as holding amra-lumbi in right hand and child in the left alongwith the figure of her elder son, standing close to her on right. The above images mostly contain the figure of Neminātha and the foliages of mango tree over the head.
Thus we can conclude that Ambikā in Bihar and Bengal is always shown with two hands and with traditional features, as envisaged by the Digambara works.
Jainism entered in Orissa as early as in c. second-first century B.C., as is evidenced by the Hathigumpha inscription of Khāravela and several early Jaina caves in the twin hills of Udaigiri and Khandagiri. Jainism continued to flourish uninterrupted in subsequent centuries and the most vigorous art activity after secondfirst century B.C. is witnessed in Udaigiri-Khandagiri caves between c. ninth and the 12th centuries A.D. The Jaina remains from Orissa apparently belong to the Digambara tradition. Ambikä like in other parts of the country was very popular in Orissa also which is approved from the large number of her images from different places in Orissa. Of all the Sāsana-devis, she was particularly given an exalted position. We come across quite a large number of her independent figures, both two-armed and four-armed, ranging in
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