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Introduction
Amrapli, also known as "Ambaplika" or "Ambapali",
was a nagarvadhu (royalcourtesan) of the republic
of Vaishali in ancient India around 500
BC.
[1][2]
Following theBuddha's teachings she
became an arahant. She is mentioned in the
old Pali texts andBuddhist traditions, particularly in
conjunction with the Buddha staying at her mango
grove, Ambapali vana which she later donated to his
order, and wherein he preached the
famous Ambapalika Sutta.
[3][4][5][6]
The legend of
Amrapali originated in the Buddhist Jataka
Tales some 1500 years ago.
Early life
Amrapali or Ambapali was born around 600-500 BC to an
unknown parentage, and was given her name because at
her birth she was found at the foot of a mango tree in one
of the royal gardens in Vaishali.
[1][7]
A feudal named
Mahanaman of Vaishali, now a district on the bank of
River Ganga, had traced the rare beauty of Amrapali
when she was a child. Lured by the beauty of Amrapali,
Mahanaman abandoned his kingdom and shifted to
Ambara village, a small hamlet in
Vaishali.
[8]
(Etymologically, the variants on her name
derive from a combination of two Sanskrit words: "amra",
meaning mango, and"pallawa", meaning young leaves or
sprouts.
Courtesan
Amrapali grew to be a lady of extraordinary beauty, charm, and
grace in the city of Vaishali, the capital city of the Lichchavi
clan, one of the eight Kshatriya clans that had united to form
the Vajjian confederacy. The Vajjian confederacy is reputed to
be the worlds oldest democracy where the King was elected
by an electoral college consisting of princes and nobles from
the Kshatriya clans. Many young nobles of the republic desired
her company. To avoid confrontations among her suitors, she
was accorded the status of the state courtesan of Vaishali.
Amrapali was declared the "most beautiful" girl at the age of
11. When the undisputed king of Vaishali, Manudev, (belonging
to the illustrious Lichchavi clan of the confederacy) desires to
possess Amrapali after he sees her dance performance in the
city, he plans to 'own' her.
In Popular Culture
Amrapali has also been the subject of a
biopic, Amrapali (1966), starring Vyjayanthimala as
Amrapali and Sunil Dutt as King Ajatshatru.
[11]
Bollywood actress Hema Malini produced, directed, and
starred in a TV Series called Women of India which
showed the story of Amrapali. The music for the Amrapali
segment of the TV Series was composed by
composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar, in conjunction with
composer Ravindra Jain.
Amrapali has also been a subject of various books
including Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu a Hindi novel
by Acharya Chatursen in 1948.
[12][13][14]
A new work in English, The Legend of Amrapali:An
enchanting saga buried within the sands of time was
done by authorAnurag Anand in 2012.
Amrapali Kingswood