Ambika on Jaina Art and Literature

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

Page 73

lap). The figures are carved on the western adhisthāna and the torana (inside the sanctum) of the Pārsvanātha temple.
The Victoria Hall Museum at Udaipur preserves two bronze figures of the four-armed Ambikā, bearing inscriptions in V.S. 1305 (A.D. 1248) and V.S. 1349 (A.D. 1292). In both the figures, which were obtained from Bigod (Bhilwara, Rajasthan), Ambikā bears āmra-lumbi in her three hands and supports a child with the fourth one. Another identilcal figure, deposited in the Udaipur Museum, is inscribed in V.S. 1409 (A.D. 1352). 12
An interestting metal image of about 14th century A.D. is preserved in the Museum of Indian Historical Research Institute, St. Xaviers College, Bombay. 13 The two-armed goddess stands over a lotus in tri-bhanga and carries an amra-lumbi and a child. Another two-armed metal image of A.D. 1350 is exhibited in the Baroda Museum (Acc. No. A8/325). 14 The Yaksi sits in lalita-pose on lion and carries an amra-lumbi and a child. Her elder son is also carved on right.
H.D. Sankalia has published two 15th century bronzes of Ambikā.15 Of these, one represents two-armed Ambikā as seated and holding āmra-lumbi and child, while in other example, inscribed in V.S. 1505 (A.D. 1448), the four-armed Ambikā, called Bālā-devi in inscription, sits in lalita-pose on a lion and bears amra-lumbi in her upper two hands while with each of the lower two hands she supports a child seated on lap.
A brass image from a Jaina temple in Baroda represents fourarmed Ambikā as riding on a lion and holding āmra-lumbi, noose, goad and child (in lap). Her elder son, however, stands on right. The image is inscribed in V.S. 1534 (A.D. 1477). Another identical image is found in the Cintamani Pārsvanātha temple at Cambay. 16 The image is inscribed in V.S. 1547 (A.D. 1490). A brass image of four-armed Ambikā is also preserved in the Bostan Museum, New York.17 The inscription on its back shows that it was installed in Samvat 1547 (A.D. 1490) by Sri Jina-samudra Sūri of the Kharatara-gaccha in the line of Sri Jina-bhadra. Ambikä shows amra-lumbi, child, trident and the damaru in her hands. Maharashtra
Maharashtra, although not so rich in respect of the figures of Ambikā as compared to Gujarat and Rajasthan, has yielded sufficient images, ranging in date from ninth to the 12th century A.D. and
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