Ambika Devi was born in a Bihari village called Raspidur, where she grew up immersed in the Madhubani art tradition. She acquired her talent for Madhubani from her mother, an award-winning artist named Leela Devi. Even after she married into a family of farmers, she practiced her art by the cover of night after days full of work. However, after her husband moved to Delhi, Ambika Devi began to explore her passion for Madhubani further, ultimately turning it into a career and source of financial independence.

Ambika Devi is one in a succession of women who dedicated their lives to passing down the Madhubani tradition to the next generation. She worked with the Government of India to conduct Madhubani workshops across the nation, fostering a new generation of artists to carry the torch of traditional arts into the modern era. She also continues the practice of using Madhubani to tell stories about both one's identity and one's surroundings. In fact, not only does she draw inspiration from her religion, Hinduism, in her artwork, but she also joined a wave of traditional artists who depicted scenes from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ambika Devi's artwork is world-famous and has led to her being featured in a variety of prestigious publications, from the BBC to Marie Claire. Her paintings have also been exhibited at numerous events and locations, including the 2014 Dastkar Fashion Show, the Nantong International Contemporary Craft Biennale in China, and various curated exhibitions throughout India. She is the recipient of the National Handicraft Award, the Kamala Award for Excellence in Craftsmanship, and the Craft Council of Telangana's handicraft awards, the Sanmaan Award.