ABSTRACT
More recently, I have become interested in exploring the less “monumental” buildings Sisodia rulers patronized, particularly those that seem to have been intended for the local population. At first, it appeared that this small, unremarkable structure was nothing more than a simple gift to the masses from a dharmic king, rather than a statement of dynastic legitimacy, which is undoubtedly the purpose of much more monumental works patronized by seventeenth-century Sisodia rulers. However, I now argue that this, too, was intended to serve as an apparatus of imperial authority – but this one was directed to the general, local populace rather than powerful competing ruling houses. In this chapter, I do the following: examine the diverse artistic program of the temple; identify the significance of the temple within the broader context of Raj Singh’s extensive patronage; and propose that, at its inception, the Amba Mata Temple was an integral part of a carefully planned imperial temple scheme intended to support both dynastic legitimacy and Sisodia religious cosmology.
