Santinatha, probably Rajasthan, Western India, 1168. Sanskrit has a rich literary and religious tradition. Personal information; Spouse: Sarvanha (Dig.) Lay men and women usually complete formal study before being initiated into the clergy. Some sects worship images – mūrti-pūjaka – and others do not, and different sects have various practices. Ambikā's connection with motherhood means that worship of her may be performed to request her protection for children. Their presence has been interpreted as a sign of the Śakti cult, which was widespread in India, especially between the tenth and 13th centuries. The auction house Christie's provides notes and a zoomable photograph of the sculpture. Other features have changed in the course of time but common characteristics in Śvetāmbara depictions of Ambikā include the noose and goad. Take the road to the Mukutmanipur Dam, or turn right at the confluence of the Kansai and Kumari rivers … This zoomable photograph is on the website of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, USA. Image by Y. Shishido © CC BY-SA 3.0, Sandstone sculpture of the goddess Ambikā. A 11th-century marble image of the 22nd Jina Neminātha or Lord Nemi and his attendants. There is a privileged association between this goddess and the holy place of Mount Girnar, in Gujarat. In such cases, therefore, Ambikā acts as the protective deity to a state. 27 x 18 x 10 in. An important part of many religions, meditation is especially important in Jain belief because it forms key elements of religious practice and spiritual development. In Tamil Nadu, Ambikā is also known under the name Dharma-devī – ‘Goddess of the Doctrine’ – which underlines her association with the Jinas. The yakṣa Gomedha is Nemi's male attendant, but has not developed a similar independent status. http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanmugamsriraman/7813773952/. There is no mythic or iconographic connection between her and Bāhubali [the Jain saint closely associated with the site]. She is the yakṣī or female attendant deity of the 22nd Jina, Neminātha or Lord Nemi, but has long been a figure of worship in her own right. The Jain Goddess Ambika. This goddess is closely associated with motherhood and children in legends as well as in her iconography. Instead of practising the 'wandering life' – vihāra – of Jain monks and nuns, a bhaṭṭāraka stays in one place, living in a kind of monastery called a maṭha. http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-bronze-jain-shrine-india-gujarat-dated-4879315-details.aspx. He describes how they will get all sorts of wealth, children, wives and friends, and how they will not come under the power of all sorts of demonic influences. It is a traditional Indian theory of architecture, demarcating guidelines for building design. Together with Sarvānubhūti, Ambikā forms the earliest pair of yakṣa and yakṣī in the Jain tradition. In her two right hands she carries a mango and in the other a branch of a mango tree. He indicates that there are many more which he skips over so as not to make his work too big, but which can be learnt from one’s own teacher. Today she is worshiped as the Hindu goddess Ambika or Durga. One of the most important deities is Ambika, the Mother Goddess of Jainism. One of the hundred sons of the first Jina Ṛṣabha, Bāhubali is one of the most revered Jain saints. Ambikā or Kūṣmāṇḍinī is one of the most popular Jain goddesses among Śvetāmbaras and Digambaras alike. Relevance. In some respects she can be thought of as the model goddess for the yakṣīs, as the earliest surviving references to these attendant goddesses name her as the sole yakṣī. 'White-clad’ in Sanskrit, the title of one of the two main divisions of Jainism, in which both male and female mendicants wear white robes. The male attendant of a Jina, one of the pair of guardian or protector gods for each Jina. Ambika and Padmavati are associated with tantric rituals. In this piece the author calls the goddess both Ambiā – Prakrit for Ambikā – and Kohaṇḍidevi – Prakrit for Kūṣmāṇḍinī – using both forms of her name. An image of Ambikā in the Allahabad Museum in Uttar Pradesh is supposed to have been originally installed in the cella of the Patiān-dāi temple in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. Kūṣmāṇḍinī is also the guardian divinity of certain holy places, especially Shravana Belgola, the Digambara pilgrimage centre. Taken from the Sanskrit term for the dwelling of an ascetic, the term maṭha is nowadays often rendered as mutt in English. A fierce form of Ambikā is also worshipped in Tantric rites. Shri Neminath Adhisthayaka Nagotra Solanki Gotria Kuladevi Shri Ambikadevi Jinalaya in Santhu near Bagra. The child sitting on her knee underlines her connection with motherhood and children.. 'Sky-clad' in Sanskrit, used for one of the two main divisions of Jainism, in which monks are naked. A sequence of actions that must be followed to perform a religious ceremony. http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1978.28.S. Sotheby's New York, 21 September 1995, lot 191. By the tenth century several of the śāsana-devatās had developed into independent gods at the centre of their own cults. Her carrier is a lion. Abika is the Goddess or yakshi worshipped on behalf of mothers and infants. Follower of the majority faith in India and an adjective describing something belonging to Hinduism. http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=32054;type=101. This means she: Both the principal Jain sects associate Ambikā with motherhood and give her a lion as her divine mount or vehicle. This includes the yakṣa and yakṣī – male and female deities who protect their teaching and intervene in human affairs. Image of AmbikāImage by Sailko © CC BY-SA 3.0. Some of the names used for her may point to her destructive capacities if she is not properly worshipped. In Jainism, lay people are often called 'householders', indicating that they live in houses and have domestic responsibilities, unlike ascetics. Using CE is a more secular way of dating events in a multinational, multi-religious world. 1150–1200 Eastern Ganga period . At the end of the piece he writes to praise Ambikā, Jinaprabha gives a few mantras. Gomedha (Śvēt.) Taking place shortly after a baby is born, this ritual is intended to protect the infant and keep it healthy. The powerful goddess is the guardian divinity of this major Digambara pilgrimage centre, although she is popular among all Jain sects. http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1975.17.23.S. This underlines her association with motherhood and children, and Jains might worship her when they want to have children. Miraculously, this mango tree provides fruit and a nearby dried-up lake fills with water so they can survive. Her second child, her sacred vehicle the lion, and two worshippers appear below. Copper alloy with traces of gilding. There is evidence of her status as an independent deity in this region in the seventh century. Abika is the Goddess or yakshi worshipped on behalf of mothers and infants. The 14th-century Śvetāmbara author Jinaprabha-sūri refers to images of Ambikā at several Jain holy places in northern and western India. Everest. Associated with children and fertility, Ambikā is also the female attendant deity – yakṣī – of the 22nd Jina Nemi, who is the small cross-legged figure at the top. Meditation is deep thought about religious doctrine or mental focus on spiritual matters over a period of time. They may have specific roles or ranks and may progress through a hierarchy to become top leaders of the religious organisation. Since she is the focus of worship in her own right, she also has hymns and mantras composed for her. The graceful yakshi Ambika or "little mother" is worshipped by both Hindu and Jain devotees . Lord Nemi and attendantsImage by Wellcome Trust Library © Wellcome Library, London. Her other names are Amba, Ambini, Kushmandi and Kodandi. Figures of the goddess from the eighth to ninth century are available (Tiwari and Sinha 2011: 108). Thus the number of attributes and arms are connected when she is represented in art. Watch the story of how Goddess Ambika became the presiding deity of Girnar! As a śāsana-devatā – ‘deity of the teaching’ – she is believed to help protect and spread the message of her Jina. The Digambara temple to Kūṣmāṇḍinī at Mount Girnar dates back to the mid-eighth century CE. Ambika's second book "Unfolding Happiness" was released September 27, 2016 and is published by Mythologem Press. A mantra can be recited aloud or silently, and is often repeated. This zoomable photograph is on the website of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the USA. The yakṣa and yakṣī's closeness to the Jina and their divine powers mean they are popular subjects of worship. Ambika introduces us to goddess, which is not completely foreign to me. Bibliography . These deities are considered to be the model for the pairing of yakṣa and yakṣī that later became standard. Decorated elephants flank the royal canopy over the Jina, who is fanned by servants on both sides. This 2006 photograph on Flickr shows the statue draped with garlands of flower offerings. Vastu Shastra in Ancient Texts refers to all the details that have been included in the ancient scriptures of India including the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas and a lot more. This zoomable photograph is provided by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA. He also visited the court of the Delhi Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Each sect gives her different attributes, but she is usually presented in art accompanied by a child or two. A term for any of the dead vernacular languages of ancient and medieval India. Jain Quantum is a Jain literature search engine. Copper alloy. Goddess Ambika along with Padmavati, Chakreshvari are held as esteemed deities and worshipped in Jains along with tirthankaras. This figure from Bihar, with an elaborate headdress, may be the goddess Ambika or Kūṣmāṇḍinī, who is associated with children and fertility. One of the most important and popular Jain deities, Ambikā is usually depicted with her attributes of children and mangoes. Her second child, her sacred vehicle the lion, and two worshippers appear below. An organised group of believers in a religion, often distinguished from other groups within the same religious faith who have differences of doctrine or practice. The jewellery-bedecked statue was probably originally holding a small child on her left knee, though this part has been badly damaged. Examples are: When successful in their worship, the devotees have all their desires fulfilled. The authoritative example for this story is the 14th-century Ambikā-devī-kalpa. (24.76 x 11.43 x 6.66 cm) From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.72.1.12) South and Southeast Asian Art. This is because present day Vastu is derived from the ones that were used in the Vedic era but the approach in the modern day is different. At the bottom on either side sit his male attendant deity – yakṣa – Gomedha and his female attendant deity – yakṣī – Ambikā. The most popular of all the yakshis is Ambika, who is venerated for her powers of fertility and maternity. … high Provenance. According to the tradition, her colour is golden and her vehicle is lion. Private collection. She is seated with her child beneath a mango tree (associated with female fertility) and holds a mango stem. These two divinities seem to have provided the model for other yakṣa and yakṣī pairings. Her second child, her sacred vehicle the lion, and two worshippers appear below. http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=1007;type=101. AmbikāImage by Andreas Praefcke © public domain. Jain Quantum allows you to find the smallest details buried within pages of literature. Bronze shrine featuring the 22nd Jina, Nemi, and attendants. 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