Orissa, India (made) 12th century This sculpture is a figure...

Orissa, India (made)

12th century

This sculpture is a figure of the voluptuous Ambika, the Jain goddess worshipped on behalf of mothers and infants. Here she is shown with her child seated on a double lotus throne beneath a mango tree. She protects the infant with her left hand and holds a mango branch in her right. Her second child is shown on the lower frieze, reaching up to his mother.

The image and symbolism of the mango is associated with rounded female forms, especially breasts. This association is underscored by the similarity between the Sanskrit and Hindi words for ‘mango’ (‘amra’ and ‘amb, amba’) and ‘mother’. (‘amba’ and ‘amma’).

The Victoria and Albert Museum