Dhār, Bhoja, and Sarasvatī: an old problem revisited

Abstract

This article focuses on an inscription on the base of a sculpture in the British Museum dated Vikrama year 1091 (1034–1035 CE) in the reign of king Bhoja, the most celebrated ruler of the Paramāra dynasty of central India. Although published in the past on a number of occasions, the discovery of a small donor figure incised on the plinth prompts a re-evaluation. The inscription can now be understood as referring to the establishment of an image of the goddess Ambikā by a donor named Sosā, a lay follower of the Vidhyādharī branch of the Jain faith.