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INTRODUCTION deity presiding over the forest where two Sadhus in the 'Tirtha' (spiritual regime) of Sri Supārsvanātha spent the monsoon, as she was much pleased at their saintly character and severe austerities, and wished that their desire to make obeisance, along with the Sangha, to the images of Jina on Mt. Meru might be fulfilled. It was a representation of Meru with its triple girdles and four idols of Jina facing the four quarters on each of the three girdles. A dispute arose amongst the followers of different religions regarding the ownership of the Stūpa, and it was agreed that the same should be decided by divine intercession and that the disputants should for that purpose keep vigil during the night and worship the particular gods they believed in by burning incense etc. before their representations on Pața (canvas or a piece of cloth). In a cyclone which occured during the night all the Pațas except that of Sri Supārsvanātha were torn and destroyed. Consequently the Stūpa was declared to belong to the Jains. In the time of Sri Pārsvanātha the Stūpa was encased in bricks as a precaution against bad times predicted by Sri Pārsvanātha. A temple was built outside the Stūpa and an idol of Sri Pārsvanātha was installed therein. The Stūpa was ultimately repaired at the instance of Sri Bappabhattisūri in 1300 Vira era. The said account and the various images and Ayāgapatas discovered from the excavations of the Stüpa are impo to prove ancient worship of Ayagapata and Patas in general as also of Sarasvati and Ambikā whose images have been found from the excavations by Dr. Fuhrer. Mathurā Inscription No II (Vienna oriental journal Vol. III 1889) relates to the dedication of the image of Sarasvati in the year 84 of Kusāna kings i. e. 162 or 172 A.D. The Mathurā image of S'ri Ambikā is preserved in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. It is made of red stone. Other early images of Ambikā are the rock-cut images in the Navamuni cave, Khandagiri, Orissa and at Dhānk* in Kathiawar. The importance of these images of Sarasvati and Ambikā is that they
* "Stylistically also the (Dhänk) sculptures belong to the early fourth century between Kuśānas or (Kșatrapas) and the Guptas"-Dr. H. D. Sankalia, P. 430 J. R. A. S. 1938.
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