The AmbikàStatue from DhÃÂr is a marble figure in high relief of the Jain goddess Ambikàin the collection of the British Museum, London. The sculpture was discovered in the city of DhÃÂr, central India, in the nineteenth century. The figure is famous for its inscription in Sanskrit on the base that provides a link to the Paramara dynasty and the court of king Bhoja (c. 1010âÂÂ1055). The Ambikàhas been part of the British Museum's collection since 1909.
The statue was found on the site of the old city palace in DhÃÂr, Madhya Pradesh, in 1875 when the building was being reconstructed. Shortly after it was discovered, the sculpture was brought to the attention of William Kincaid (Indian Civil Service) who had been working in central India since 1866. He brought the sculpture to Britain in 1886 when he returned from India and in 1891 deposited it with Augustus Wollaston Franks (1826-1897) at the British Museum. In 1909, when Kincaid died, the sculpture became part of the British Museum collections.
The goddess Ambika is carved from white marble in high relief and wears a tiered headdress with her hair tied to one side. The ends of two of the four arms of the goddess are missing; in the two complete arms, she clasps an elephant goad (aá¹ kuà Âa) and either a noose or the stalk of a plant. On the base are various other deities or spirit attendants in relief.
On the stepped face of the base, below the goddess's feet, is a small kneeling female donor, engraved in outline form.
A close parallet to the DhÃÂr image is found in a sandstone sculpture in Sehore that dates to the eleventh century. This sculpture is also damaged, with arms and attributes missing, but preserves a seated Jina at the top. At the base there are similar figures of a bearded sage and a youth riding a tiger.
The NÃÂgarë inscription records the creation of the Ambika statue by Vararuci, after he had made a figure of the goddess jin Sarasvati and three Jinas. It has been suggested that Vararuci is in fact the Jain scholar DhanapÃÂla, who held a prominent place at the court of king Bhoja during the eleventh century. Bhoja belonged to the Paramara dynasty who took Dhar as their sometime capital, along with Ujjain.
The inscription, critical edition and translation are visible online but are given here for ready reference:
Verse 1: (the metre is à ÂÃÂrdà «lavikrëá¸Âita)
à Ârëmadbhoja-nareá¹Âdra-caá¹Âdranagarë-vidyÃÂdharë-dharmmadhëḥ [*|] soṣànÃÂma suà ÂÃÂsanàkhalu sukha-prasthÃÂpanÃÂy=ÃÂpsarÃÂḥ [*||]
Verse 2: vÃÂgdevë[*á¹Â] prathama[*á¹Â] vidhÃÂya jananë[*á¹Â]pas[*c*]ÃÂj jinÃÂnÃÂ[*á¹Â] trayëm [*|] ambÃÂ[*á¹Â] nitya-phalÃÂdikÃÂá¹ vararuciḥ m[*à «]rtti[*á¹Â] s[*u]bhÃÂ[*á¹Â] nirmmame [*||]
Colophon (Prose): iti subhaá¹ || sà «tradhÃÂra-sahira-sutamaá¹Âathaleá¹Âa ghaá¹Âitaá¹ || vi[*jñ]ÃÂnika à Âivadevena likhitam iti |[*|] saá¹Âvat 100 91 [*||]
Vararuci, who is intent on the dharma of the Candranagarë and VidyÃÂdharë [branches of the Jain religion] of à Ârëmad Bhoja the king, the apsaras [as it were] for the easy removal [of ignorance? by...?], that Vararuci, having first fashioned VÃÂgdevë the mother [and] afterwards a triad of Jinas, made this beautiful image of AmbÃÂ, ever abundant in fruit. Blessings! It was executed by Maá¹Âathala, son of the sà «tradhÃÂra Sahira. It was written by à Âivadeva the proficient. Year 1091.