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the sixth century B.C. Thus the description of the Purṇabhadra shrine visited by Mahavira is authentic and preserves genuine old tradition.
We should, therefore, have no hesitation in regarding these prthvisila-paṭṭaş (of the Purṇabhadra-caitya description) as precursors of the Jaina Ayagapatas from Mathura dating from c. 1st Cent. B.C. to 1st Cent. A.D.
It is but natural that when the pantheon began growing the Jainas thought of introducing a Yakṣa and a Yakşi, as attendants of a Jina, as Sāsana-devatās, who protect the samgha of a particular Jina. The attendants obtained a place on the pedestal of a Jina image itself.
Firstly a pair common to all the twenty four Tirthankaras was introduced. The Yakşa carried a citron and a money-bag and resembled Kuvera or Jambhala. The Yakṣi, two-armed, carrying a mango bunch and a child, and having the lion as her vahana, resembled Nānā (of the Kuşana coins), Durga and Hariti.
The earliest reference to Ambika is obtained in the unpublished commentary of Jinabhadragani Kṣamāśramaņa on his own Viseṣāvasyaka-bhāṣya (c. 500-600 A.D,). Archaeological evidence also supports the above view as the earliest known sculptures of Ambika do not date prior to c. 550 A.D. The earliest known images of this pair are available on a bronze sculpture of Rṣabhanatha set up by Jinabhadra himself and obtained in the Akota hoard. An early image of the goddess Ambika, preserved in the Meguti temple at Aihole, dates from c. 634 A.D.
Worship of this pair, which resembled Jambhala and Hariti of the Buddhists, became very widespread all over India and the Jaina caves of Ellora, contain some beautiful specimens. About the beginning of the 11th century, four-armed figures of Ambika came into vogue, the amralumbi being repeated in her two extra hands. At a later stage in the mediaeval period of Indian history, symbols like the noose, the goad, the varada, etc. replaced the extra mango-bunches.
The evolution of the iconography of Padmavati is equally interesting. Firstly, in all early representations of Parsvanatha, before c. 900 A.D., she hardly figures as the Yakşi of this Jina. Alongwith Dharanendra, she is known as a snake-deity standing and adoring Parsvanatha or holding an umbrella over the head of Parsvanatha. Scenes of
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