Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Arhat/Sthavira (Buddhist Elder) - 16 Elders: Ajita

གནས་བརྟན། 罗汉
(item no. 23775)
Origin Location Tibet
Date Range 1800 - 1899
Lineages Gelug and Buddhist
Material Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection Private
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Person

Appearance: Arhat

Gender: Male

Interpretation / Description

Ajita the Elder (Tibetan: gnas brtan ma pham pa, Sanskrit: Sthavira Ajita): the 2nd elder from the set of Sixteen Great Elders.

"On the Rishi Mountain,
In Crystal Forest is the Noble elder Ajita,
surrounded by 100 arhats;
Homage to the One with the two hands placed in meditation." (Sakya liturgical verse).

The Elder Ajita is most commonly portrayed with the hands placed in the mudra of meditation, however there are several different and varying traditions graphically depicting the arhats. The Sixteen Great Arhats are generally painted as a set. Typically the full group would include the buddha Shakyamuni, the 16 arhats, the attendant Dharmatala, the patron Hvashang and the Four Guardians of the Directions: Vaishravana, Virupaksha, Dritarashtra and Virudhaka.

Jeff Watt 8-99

Related Items
Thematic Sets
Arhat/Sthavira: Ajita Main Page
Arhat/Sthavira - 16 Elders: Ajita (Masterworks)
Artist: Khazi Lhazo & Derivative Styles Page
Collection: Christie's, Painting (March, 2001; New York)
Painting Style: Chamdo Regional Style
Arhat/Sthavira: Painting Masterworks (Miscellaneous)