Kevalaodhi Buddhist And Jaina History Of Deccan Vol 2

Author(s): Aloka Parasher Sen, B Subrahmanyam, E Siva Nagi Reddy
Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan

Page 118

Kevala-Bodhi-Buddhist and Jaina History of the Deccan
of Ambika are found at Mathura, Hastinapura, Ahichhatra, Pratistanapura and now at Kolanupak in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh. It is mentioned in the Kalpa-Pradipa that Ambikā, riding a lion, was the guardian goddess of the Mathura-Tirtha". In literary works like the Chaturvansi-Tilaka of Bappabhatti-Suri, the Stuti-Chaturvamsa-Tika of Sobhana-Süri, the Nirvana-Kalika of Pada-Lipta-Suri (9th century AD), the Trisashti-Salaka-Purusha-Charitra (12th century AD), the Pravachana-Saroddhara of Nemi Chandra-Süri (12th century AD). give identical details of invoking the goddess, Ambika endowed with two as well as four arms, as riding a lion, holding a bunch of mangoes and accompanied by two wandering sons and hence called Cari-Putra. She always rests under a mango-tree with a tiny figure of Jina, Neminatha carved on the top. Metal and stone images of Ambika have been profusely found in Andhra at places like Kolanupaka (Nalgonda district), Danavulapadu (Cuddapah district), Vemulavada (Karimnagar district) and Patancheru (Medak district). The Bapatla hoard now displayed in the State Museum, Hyderabad contains a number of Ambika images.
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Due to extremely venerated position and popularity of Ambika in Jaina pantheon, a number of legendary stories developed around her. The Kalpa-Pradipa" mentions that there once lived an orthodox Brahmin, named Sōma-datta in the city of Kodinar in Saurashtra. He had a devoted wife, named Ambika and two sons, Siddha and Buddha. On the occasion of the Sradha-ceremony Sōma invited some Brāhmaṇs to a dinner. While the meals was being prepared, a Jaina Muni turned in and asked Ambika for some food to break his fast. Ambika offered the food, prepared for the Brahmans to that Jaina Muni. On knowing this, Sōma was enraged and drove Ambika and her sons out of the house. Thus Ambika was rendered homeless and felt helpless to provide food and water to her children. But the meritorious act of Ambikā, i.e., offering the food to the muni, caused some miracles to occur, i.e., the dried up mango tree began bearing mangoes and the dry lake was filled with water. Ambika and her sons after eating the mangoes rested under the shade of the mango tree. At the same time, a miracle occurred in the house of Soma and thereby, he was filled with remorse went in search for Ambikā. Seeing Sōma approaching her, Ambika mistook his intentions, and so jumped into the well along with her sons and died. Later on, she was reborn as a Yakshi of Neminatha and her husband was reborn as a lion to serve Amibkā as her vahana or vehicle. From this it becomes clear that the Jainas had a mythology of their own about this goddess, namely, Ambika, depicted as Durga. The Jaina Yakshi, Ambika, riding a lion and sitting under a mango tree with a bunch of mangoes and child in her hands and her second son standing nearby, is a wonderful creation combining in her both the mother and the sakti aspects which the Jaina devotees worship. Thus the attributes of Ambikă such as the bunch of mangoes her two sons, and a mango tree, suggest her intimate association with vegetation, fertility and prosperity. The Jaina Ambika sculptures found in Andhra possess only two arms.
Next to Ambika, the sculptures of Padmavathi are prolific in Andhra. There is no evidence to suggest the prevalence of the Yakshi, Padmavathi-Cult in Andhra till the Răştrakuta period (i.e., the 9th -10th century AD). The carving of an independent sculpture of Padmavathi at Danavulapadu in Cuddapah district was perhaps not intended to serve as a guardian angel of Tirthankara Parsvanatha, but to serve as an object of independent ritual adoration. It has all the characteristics of a cult goddess. She sits majestically on a stone seat with both legs bent near the knee. The left leg fully rests on the platform and the right leg is slightly raised and rests on the lower feet. The figure is richly adorned with jewelry, which befits only a cult goddess. Her face betrays the serenity of appearance, which is characteristic feature of a benign mother goddess. Further, in the Padmakshi temple of Hanumakonda in Warangal district, the