Indian Antiquary Vol 48

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 271

AMA
AMB
cave. Thegrotto is rightly said to be full of wonderful congelations"(Bernier's Travels, p. 418 note), and according to Dr. Stein, the Linga which is an embodiment of Siva Amareśvara is "a large block of transparent ice formed by the freezing of the water which oozes from the rock”(Dr. Stein's Rajatarangini, vol II, p. 409), which is evidently a dolomite rock. There is something very wonderful and curious about the formation of the Linga. The pedestal of the Linga is 7 or 8 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height. The Linga, which is 3 feet in height, rises from the centre of the pedestal with the figure of a serpent entwining it. The peculiarity of the entire formation is that it has got some connection with the moon, as it is gradually formed from day to day commencing after the day of the New Moon till it attains its full height on the day of the Full Moon: the process of forming and dissolving goes on every day, and on the day of the New Moon no sign of the image exists at all. On both sides of the Linga there are two columns of ice formation which are called Derfs. Every year in the month of Sravana, the pilgrims start from Marttawa (Martan or Bhavan) for Amarnath escorted by the officers of the Maharaja of Kasmira (JASB., 1866, p. 219). On the last day of the visit, one or two or sometimes four pigeons are said to appear, gyrating and fluttering over the temple, to the amazed gaze of the
pilgrims who regard them as Hara and Parvati. Amaravatt-1. Nagarhára, about two miles to the west of Jallalabad: a village close
to it is still called Nagarak,--the Na-kie of Fa Hian. 2. The Amaravati stúpa is about 18 miles to the west of Bezwada and south of Dharanikoța, on the south or right bank of the Krishna river about sixty miles from its mouth in the Krishna district, Madras Presidency. The Amaravati Chaitya is the Pârvasaila Saighârâma of Hiuen Tsiang (Dr. Burgess' Buddhist Stu pus of Amaravati, p. 101). Amaravati is the Diamond Sands (Dipal dinne) of the Dalada Vamia: it was situated in the kingdom of the Någa Raja (see Turnour's translation in JASB., vi., p. 856). The Amaravati tope was built about A.D. 370 or 380, by the Andhras or the Andhra-bhritya kings who were Buddhists (Sewell's
Sketch of the Dynasties of Southern India, p. 1; for its description see JRAS., III, 132). Amarebvara-On the opposite side of Omkârnâth, on the southern bank of the river
Nerbuda (Siva Purana, Pt. 1, ch.38; Skanda Purana-Revakhanda), thirty-two miles northwest of Khandwa and eleven miles east of Martoka Railway station (Caine's Picturesque India, p. 397). In the Brihat-Siva P.(Pt. II, chs. 3 and 4) Amareśvara is placed in Omkâra or Omkara-kshetra. The twelve great Lingas of Mahadeva are:-Somanatha in Saurashtra, Mallikarjuna in Srisaila, Maha-kala in Ujjayini, Omkára in Amaresvara, Kedåra in the Himalayas, Bhimasaikara in Pakini, Visvešvara in Benares, Tryambaka in Gomati (near Nasik), Vaidyanatha in Chitâbhâmi, Någesa in Dwaraka, Râmeswara in Setubandha,
and Ghusrinesa in Sivalaya (Siva Purdna; Pt. 1, ch. 38). Ambalatthik-1. A park half way between Rajagriha and Nalanda (Digha Nikaya :
Brahmajala Sutta). 2. A park situated in the village of Khanumata in Magadha
(Küfadanta Sutta). Ambaligrama-Arail, a village on the opposite side of Allahabad, across the Yamuna
(Chaitanya-charitamrita, Pt. II; Journal of the Buddhist Text Society, vol. V, p. 65). Ambara-The country of Jaipur, so called from its ancient capital of that nams now
called Âmer, which is said to have been founded by Ambarisha, son of Mandh&t& (Arch. 8. Rep., Vol. 2), and hence Amer is a corruption of Ambarishanagara. During the reign