Ambika on Jaina Art and Literature

Author(s): Maruti Nandan Prasad Tiwari
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 40

said to have stood near the rampart of the city of Ahicchatrā. The goddess riding a lion and holding a bunch of mangoes is accompanied by her two sons, Siddha and Buddha.
Iconographic forms of Ambikā
The present chapter endeavours to trace the evolution of the iconographic forms of Ambikā on the basis exclusively of the Jaina literature and iconographic texts. This development may be divided into two phases, early and late, with a view on more specificity and clarity concerning the linear evolution in Ambika's form. Compared to other popular Yaksis of the Jaina pantheon-Cakreśvari, Padmavati, and Jvālāmālini—the form of Ambikā did not undergo much development in respect of increase in number of arms and thereby the attributes. She mainly remained two-armed and at most four-armed with a few exceptions showing more hands, envisaged mainly by the Tantric, works.
Early Phase (c. 8th-12th century A.D.)
After making her first appearance in about sixth century A.D., she remained only two-armed atleast upto the end of the ninth century A.D. During the 10th and 12th century A.D. we find some development in her iconographic form, mainly in regard to the multiplication of arms rising to four and the attributes to be shown in them to accentuate the artistic and symbolic effect of her image. Between the 11th and 13th centuries A.D., the goddess is invoked also in different Tantric rites with terrific form and having more than four hands.
The earliest reference to the iconographic form of Ambika is found in the Caturvimsatikā of Bappa-bhatti Sūri wherein she is invoked into two dhyānas respectively with Neminātha and Mahāvira. In both the dhyānas, giving identical details, the two-armed Ambika is visualized as resting under a mango tree and riding on a lion who is compared poetically to the lightning in the clouds. The goddess, accompanied by her son, is believed to possess sharp nails which can easily break the sword (of an enemy). The text, however, does not refer to the bunch of mangoes (amra-lumbi) in her hand. Perhaps this is the reason why in early sculptures of Ambikā (from c. 7th to the 9th century A.D.), the rendering of āmra-lumbi has not been very regular, as has been noticed in case of her figures from Varanasi
26
Ambikā