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Four More Popular Yakşinis
255 child on the lap with her left lower hand and the amralunbi in the right lower hand. She sits under a mango-tree. In her two upper hands she carries what looks like a lotus with a long stalk.
Tiwari notes another form of four-armed Ambika on the northern wall of the Sve. Jaina temple of Ajitanātha at Taranga, Gujarat. Here Ambikā standing in tribhanga has her lion vehicle on her left and shows the varada mudra, imralumbi, pasa and the son with her four hands.
No. 6.312 in the Lucknow Museum, published earlier by us in JUB, IX.2, op. cit., fig. 30. represents another variety of four-armed Ambikä images. Ambika here holds a book in her right upper hand and a mirror in the left upper one. The right lower hand shows an amralumbi while the left lower hand supports the child on the lap. Above the two upper hands are seen figures of maladharas, one on each side. The goddess is seated under a mango-tree surmounted by a figure of a Jina (Neminātha) in the dhyāna mudra (Fig. 173). A crouching figure of a lion below her feet represents the vāhana of the goddess. Obviously the sculpture represents Ambika though no dhyana for this form is yet known.
A brass image of Ambika is preserved in the Boston Museum (JUB, IX.2, op. cit., fig. 31). It has an inscription on its back which shows that it was installed in Samvat 1547 (A.D. 1490) by Jinasamudra süri of Kharatara gaccha in the line of Jinabhadra suri. Ambika shows in her four hands, the simralumbi, the child, the trident and the damaru (Fig. 164).
A big sculpture reputed to be of Pattaini Devi, now preserved in the Museum at Allahabad, came from the temple of Pattaini Devi at Pithaurà in the old Nagod State, now in M.P. (JUB, IX.2, op. cit., fig. 28). The standing goddess has four hands but unfortunately all the symbols are mutilated. Two youths flank her; at their feet are a male and a female devotee, flanked by two four-armed goddesses. These and the compartmented flanking pilasters have attendant goddesses, all labelled. In all there are 23 such labelled figures who seem to be twenty-three yaksinis of Digambara tradition, with the main figure of Ambika these make a group of 24 Jaina yaksinis. The sculpture dates from c. Ilth century A.D., though the shrine of Patian-dei (Pattaini devi) at Pithaura seems to date from c. 900 A.D. Not all the names in the labels are clear. They were mentioned in the Western Circle Report for 1920 (JUB, op. cit., p. 163, note 2). Tiwari read them as: Aparajita, Mahāmunusi, Anantamati, Gandhāri, Manusi (Manasi), Jalamalini, and Manuja on the right side, Jaya, Anantamati, Vairota, Gauri, Mahakali, Käli, Puşadadhi (?) on the left side, Bahurūpini, Cāmunda, Sarasati, Padumăvati, and Vijaya in the upper row and Prajipati (? Prajnapti), Vajrasrokhala, Rohini and Cakreśvari in the lower row. 135 The names correspond in some respects with the names in the Tiloyapannatti of the 24 yaksis.
A colossal image of a Jaina goddess preserved in the Khajuraho Museum was discussed by us in JUB, op. cit., fig. 29, p. 163. The four-armed goddess stands in the sanabhanga posture. Her two lower arms are mutilated. The two upper hands carry lotuscs with long stalks. Two female attendants are standing beside her and a male and a female devotee are seated near the feet. Just above the crown is a seated figure of a Jina with an attendant and an elephant on each side. Below the elephant are seen mangoes hanging. Alion is shown on the pedestal. The figure can be identified as representing Ambika devi.
Vidimisana, an unpublished Digambara Jaina Tantra-work, describes a different form:136
"On a pața one should draw a figure of the goddess, black in colour, and having four hands exhibiting the conch, the disc, the varacla and the noose. She is shown seated on a simhasana and a derakanta (lieavenly damsel) stands by with rimupak diśramatam (?) written on her left hand."
Obviously this is a form employed for cruel rite as the goddess is to be painted black in complexion.
3. Eight-trmed Varier
The unpublished Vidyānu sisana also records a dhyāna of Ambika with as many as eight arms. 137 According to it, just below the figure of Neminātha is to be represented, on a pata, a figure of Amrakusmandi, black in colour and having in her eight arns the conch, the cukra, the bow, the axe, the javelin, the sword, the pašu and corn (ear of corn).
A late painting in our collection, published in JUB, LX.2, op. cit., fig. 24. gives a similar form of
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