From Amrapali wiki:

Amrapali's possible alliance with Bimbisara has also survived mainly through an oral tradition and has not found its way into the Pali canon of Buddhism. This is because Bimbisara was a great royal patron of Buddhism and his links with Amrapali may throw a negative light on him.[18] Amrapali's mention in the canon also focuses mostly on the later part of her life when she converted to Buddhism.[18]

However, records of Chinese travellers who came to India in search of Buddhist texts have made note of Amrapali's early life and her relationship with Bimbisara. The latter is found in the Chinese Recension of the Buddhist tripitaka.[18] This narrative has been written in the Mahayana tradition and therefore did not have the onus of representing Bimbisara in a positive light.[18] Hence, their relationship is highlighted.

A third set of scriptures which refer to the story of Amrapali, and do so most elaborately, come from the Gilgit area of Kashmir and are therefore known as the Gilgit Manuscripts.[18] These are the Tibetan-Sanskrit scriptures of the Mulasarvastivada branch of Buddhism which hold her in high esteem. However, the negative connotation of being a courtesan is still present.[18] Thus, the cultural memory of a courtesan shows a complex pattern, varying across time and place. In popular culture

Amrapali has been the subject of three biographical films: Amrapali (1945) starring Sabita Devi, Jagdish Sethi, Prem Adeeb, Amrapali (1959) starring Supriya Devi as Amrapali and Asit Baran as King Ajatashatru,[21] and Amrapali (1966), starring Vyjayanthimala as Amrapali and Sunil Dutt as Emperor Ajatashatru.[citation needed]

Bollywood actress Hema Malini produced, directed, and starred in a television series called Women of India, which depicted the story of Amrapali. The music for the Amrapali segment of the series was composed by Hridaynath Mangeshkar along with Ravindra Jain.

Amrapali has been the subject of various books, including Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu, a 1948 Hindi novel by Acharya Chatursen, and Ambapali, a 1962 novel by Vimala Raina.[22][23][24] A recent work in English, The Legend of Amrapali: An Enchanting Saga Buried Within the Sands of Time, was completed by author Anurag Anand in 2012.[25][26][27]

A television series, Amrapali, was telecast on DD National in 2002. Amrapali is also mentioned in the book 'Heroines' by historian writer Ira Mukhoty.[28][29] See also