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INTRODUCTION
into the hands of the Buddhists. It is said that even Kapardiyaksa, one of the presiding deities thereof, when Sri Vajraswāmi in the beginning of the Christian era visited Satruñjaya, had turned heretic and was replaced by another deity by Sri Vajraswāmi. During that period Girnār was the only Tirtha which could be easily visited by Jains in Western India. Girnār therefore became a popular place of pilgrimage and Sri Ambikā came to be considered the Jain Amnāya * deity. Sri Apraticakrā or Cakreśvarī being connected with PancaParamesti-Mantra and the Sūrimantra-Yantra and Siddhacakra-Yantra continued to be a popular Māntric deity. Sri Padmāvatī being connected with Sri Pārsvanātha the ideal of Māntrikas and the most popular Tirthaïkara who earned the title of Purisādaniya has continued to be an equally popular Māntric deity. The importance of Sri Siddhāyikā is owing to her being an attendant deity of the last Tirthankara Sri Mahāvīra.
VIDYĀDEVIS The worship of Vidyadevis amongst Jains is most ancient as would be evident from references given further on.
They are essentially Māntric deities presiding over all Mântric literature. Of course as Srutadevi alias Sarasvati is the deity presiding over the whole literature sacred as well as secular, she occupies the pre-eminent position amongst Māntric deities, and Vidyādevis are considered deities allied to her but holding comparitively a subsidiary position. In the Jain pantheon Sāsana-Yakşas and Sasana-Yakṣiṇīs are concerned with the protection of the Jain fold and the Jain doctrine.
AMBIKĀ AND OTHER MANTRIC DEITIES Sri Ambikā appears to have been invoked on various occasions
x “तत्र देव्यत्रिधा प्रासाददेव्यः १ संप्रदायदेव्यः २ कुलदेव्यश्च ३ xxx संप्रदायदेव्यः अम्बा सरस्वती त्रिपुरा तारा प्रभृतयः” (आचारदिनकर पृ २०६); "यासां च देवीनांअप्रसिद्वत्वात् कल्पादर्शनात् गुरूपदेशाभावात् नामोद्दिष्टो मन्त्रो न ज्ञायते तासां अम्बामन्त्रेण वा चण्डीमन्त्रेण वा त्रिपुरामन्त्रेण वा प्रतिष्ठा विधेया । अत्र देवीप्रतिष्ठायां शासनदेवीगच्छदेवीकुलदेवीपुरदेवीभुवनदेवीक्षेत्र देवीदुर्गादेवीनां सर्वासामेक एव प्रतिष्ठाविधिः।" (आवारदिनकर पृ. २१०).
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