Ambika on Jaina Art and Literature

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

Page 66

52 Ambika
almost all the Jinas and possesses invariably amra-lumbi and son in her two hands. The two-armed Ambika in Jina-samyukta images is rarely accompanied by her vahana, lion. The identical figures of two-armed Ambika are also carved in the ceilings of the bhramikā and on the door-ways of deva-kulikās. In three instances from Vimala Vasashi, Ambika is shown with four hands. These figures, datable to the latter half of the 12th century A.D., are accompanied by lion mount (Fig. 13). In two instances, carved in the northern niche of the gudha-manḍapa and the south-west corner of the ranga-manḍapa ceiling she holds amra-lumbi in three hands while the fourth lower left hand supports a son (nude), seated in her lap and touching a breast. In both the cases, her elder son Subhankara stands on her right and holds a fruit in his left hand while the right hand is raised to pluck a mango from amra-lumbi held by his mother, Ambikā. She is joined by two female attendents, holding flywhisks. The third figure on the southern door-way of the gudha-mandapa depicts Ambika as riding a lion and holding amra-lumbi, noose, disc and a child.
Two interesting independent figures of four-armed Ambika, riding a lion, are carved on the Jaina temples at Taranga (Mehsana, Gujarat) and Jalore (Rajasthan), both assignable to the 12th century A.D. The figures carved on the eastern adhiṣṭhāna of the mula-prāsāda of the Mahāvīra temple at jalore shows her with amra-lumbi, disc, disc and child while in the figure on the north facade of the Ajitanatha temple at Tarangā, Ambikā, standing in tri-bhanga, bears the varada-mudrā, āmra-lumbi, noose and a child (clinging to waist). Another instance of the four-armed Ambika is carved on a Jaina temple at Nägda (Udaipur, Rajasthan; 12th century A.D.). The Yakṣi, standing as she is in tri-bhanga, is accompanied by her conventional conveyance, lion. She holds the varada-mudra, ämra-lumbi, amra-lumbi and a child.
H.D. Sankalia has also published four brass images, belonging to 12th century A.D.9 The figures are procured from Western India. In three examples, the two-armed Ambika holds amra-lumbi and child. The third figure (V.S. 1198/A.D. 1141) represents four-armed Ambika as seated in lalitasana on lotus seat with her mount lion carved below. She bears mango (?), lotus, lotus and child. Her second son, stands on right. One bronze image of four-armed Ambika, inscribed in samvat 1203, (A.D. 1146), is in the collection of the National Museum, New Delhi10 (Acc. No. 48.4/11; Figs.