Page 58 - Christies Indian and Himalayan Art Sept 2015

aRHats

The concept of the arhat, or sage, permeates nearly all forms of
Buddhism. As wise elders, arhats are considered to be the earliest
followers of the Buddha. This Sanskrit term arhat translates to “One
Who is Worthy,” denoting the wisdom they possess in their fully
realized state of enlightenment. There are sixteen Great Arhats
who are named alongside their descriptions in Praise to the Sixteen
Arhats, the 12th/13th-century text of Kashmiri teacher Shakyashri
Bhadra. Many more arhats exist, but are not as widely venerated by
Buddhist followers. Hundreds and occasionally thousands of these
secondary arhats accompany the primary sixteen.

The Sixteen Great Arhats are the principal followers of Shakyamuni
Buddha, known as “the Enlightened One.” They are imbedded within
the narrative of Shakyamuni Buddha and are frequently depicted in
the same context alongside other figures, including; the Buddha’s
two foremost disciples (Shariputra and Maudgalyayana), the Four
Directional Guardians (Vaishravana, Virudhaka, Dhritarashtra,
and Virupaksha), Dharmatala, the layman attendant who is an
emanation of Avalokiteshvara, and finally, Hvashang, their Chinese
patron. These twenty-five figures make up the iconography typically
associated with the Sixteen Great Arhats. Followers of Theravada
Buddhism consider arhats worthy of higher praise than bodhisattvas.

The Sixteen Great Arhats are the subject of many Himalayan
paintings. The wall murals of Dratang Monastery in Tibet house
some of the earliest known depictions of the Sixteen Great Arhats.
The arhats are usually shown as elderly men with shaved heads
and clothed in Chinese style monastic garments. The Sixteen Great
Arhats are shown as seated and are identified by their primary
attributes, as follows:

Angaja, incense burner and flywhisk
Ajita, two hands placed in mudra of meditation
Vanavasin, wrathful mudra and flywhisk
Kalika, pair of golden rings
Vajriputra, wrathful mudra and flywhisk
Bhadra, Gestures of explication and meditation
Kanakavatsa, jeweled lasso
Kanaka Bharadvaja, two hands placed in mudra of meditation
Bakula, mongoose
Rahula, jeweled tiara
Chudapantaka, two hands placed in mudra of meditation
Pindola Bharadvaja, book and begging bowl
Pantaka, gesture of explication and book
Nagasena, vase and staff
Gopaka, book held with two hands
Abheda, stupa reliquary symbol

Painted images of arhats were among the first subject collected
by Donald and Shelly Rubin. They were attracted by the sensitively
rendered portraits and the peaceful lush landscapes.

104 (detail)