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

Chudapantaka, the eleventh arhat from the system of the Sixteen Arhats, is depicted seated atop an ornate Chinese-style chair at left, wearing colorful layers of monk’s robes and performing the gesture of meditation. A large green aureola encircles his head, signifying his realization. As part of a set of twenty-three paintings, his leftward gaze indicates that this piece was intended for display on the left side, guiding the viewer’s eye toward the central composition featuring Buddha Shakyamuni with his two attendants, Shariputra and Maudgalyayana. To his right, a bearded merchant wearing a white turban stands holding a walking staff with a white bag suspended from it. The upper composition of the painting features the sun and moon, set against a background of blue streams, elegant pink and blue clouds, and lush flowers and foliage, executed in an eastern Tibetan style, possibly from the Amdo region. At the lower edge, a wheel and jewels are presented as offerings to the arhat, though they are not specific to Chudapantaka’s iconography.

Others from the set are illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, nos. 24114, 36292 and 36293.

Shinzo Shiratori 2-2025