There are five main Buddhist teachers who are said to be the sources in Tibetan literature for the origin of the story of the Sixteen Elders. The five are Lume Dromchung (11th century), Atisha Dipamkara (982-1054), Dromton Gyalwai Jungne (1004(?)-1064), Shakyashri Bhadra (1127-1225) and Lhatsun Namkha Rinchen. As for the narrative of the arhats travelling to see the Emperor of China, that source literature is unclear and very late, but the name of the Emperor who invited the Sixteen Eldersis said to be Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (Chinese pinyin: Táng Tàizong; Wade–Giles: T'ang T'ai-tsung) (28 January 598 – 10 July 649). Currently, Dratang Monastery of Central Tibet likely has the earliest extant murals depicting a group of nineteen elders surrounding Shakyamuni Buddha.
