Jambavati is the only daughter of the king-bear Jambavan. Her story is told in the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana

Bhagavata purana

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...

. She received the famous "Syamantaka Jewel" (Samanthakamani) as a gift from her father and she married to Lord Krishna

Krishna

Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

 and occupied the third most prominent position of his eight principal queens in Dwaraka.

Relationships

She was best known to be a very close and dear companion of Lord Krishna's first wife Rukmini

Rukmini

In Hinduism, Rukmini is the principal wife and queen of Krishna at his city of Dwarka. Krishna heroically kidnaps her from an un-wanted marriage at her request . Of Krishna's 16,108 queens, Rukmini is the first and most prominent...

 and was always engaged in a cold war with Satyabhama

Satyabhama

Satyabhama is the third wife of Lord Krishna, known for her strong will and tantrums.She is believed to be a partial avatar of Bhudevi.-Marriage:...

.

Lord Krishna and Jambavati together had ten sons. They were- Samba, Sumitra, Purujit, Satyajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Chitraketu, Vasuman, Dravida and Kratu. Lord Krishna was specifically very affectionate to the sons of Jambavati, especially towards the eldest one, Samba

Samba (Krishna's son)

Samba born to Lord Krishna and Jambavati. Samba is very Handsome, dearest and notorious son of lord Krishna. Samba does many unbearable things which leads whole yadu dynasty to an end.-Krishna wants to have Son Like Lord Shiva:...

.

Connection to Krishna's Death

Jambavati has been indirect cause to Lord Krishna's death through her son, Samba.

Later it was Samba’s iron club (arrow) which was regained by the old hunter Jharas, from the belly of a sea-fish, was the cause of Lord Krishna’s disappearance.

Literary Symbol

In Literature, Jambavati has been an epic-character in Bhagavat, and was prominently featured in the fight between Jambavantha

Jambavantha

Jambavan also known as Jamvanta, Jambavantha, Jambavat, or Jambuvan the King of the Bears, is a sloth bear in Indian epic tradition , immortal to all but his father Vishnu. In the Valmiki Ramayana however, he is described as being a Vanara or monkey...

 and Lord Krishna's over the Samanthakamani.

Even the great ruler of the kingdom of Vijayanagara

Vijayanagara

Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....

, Krishnadevaraya

Krishnadevaraya

Śrī Kriṣhṇa Devarāya , , , and also known as Krishna Devarayulu in some inscriptions was the famed Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire who reigned from 1509–1529 CE.He is the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty. Presiding over the empire at its zenith, he is regarded as an icon by many Indians...

, composed a book in Telugu

Telugu language

Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

known as Jambavathi Parinayam, which describes the series of events and tales that took place that eventually led to the wedding and romance of Lord Krishna and Jambavati.