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Appendix-A
Temples of Ambikā
Besides several literary references to the ancient images and temples of Ambikā, mainly found in the Kalpa-pradīpa of Jinaprabha Suri (first half of the 14th cent. A.D.),' we also come across a few existing archaeological remains of ancient temples of Ambikā, ranging in date between c. eighth century A.D. and the 16th century A.D.2 One of the earliest temples of Ambikā, datable prior to A.D. 784 (probably to mid-8th century A.D.), is at Mt. Girnar in Gujarat. The temple belonged to the Digambara sect.? An inscription of saṁvat 1249 (A.D. 1192) refers to the pilgrimage of Vastupāla, the famous Jaina minister of the Vaghela regent Vira-dhavala of western India, to the temple of Ambika on Raivataka hill (Mt. Girnar). Jinaharsa Sūri also refers to the visit of Vastupāla-Tejapāla to the temple of Ambika on Mt. Girnar. He further mentions that the two brothers caused the construction of a big mandapa in the Ambikā temple and also the parikara of the image of Ambikā. They also installed the images of Neminātha, Candapa, and his elder brother Malladeva.5 An eulogy given at the end of the golden lettered copy of the Kalpa-sutra also refers to the construction of the temple of Ambika on the Girnar hill by a śresthin Sāmala in samvat 1524 (A.D. 1467). The present temple on the Mt. Girnar apparently appears to be the construction of the 15th century A.D. Thus we have a long history of the construction and restoration of the temple of Ambikä on Mt. Gimar from c. eighth century A.D. to the 14th century A.D.
Another temple, again possibly of Digambara affiliation, and attributable to c. late 10th or early 11th century A.D., is found near Thān in Saurashtra (Gujarat).
The exquisitely carved unique image of Ambikā from Patiān-dāi temple in Satna district of M.P. is indeed a cult image of c. 11th century A.D. The image, presently preserved in the Allahabad Museum, originally was installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Patiān-dāi temple.
Another temple, possibly of pre-medieval or early medieval founding was found at Kodināra in Saurashtra. Vastu-păla had founded a
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