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

Rahula, the Elder (Tibetan: ne ten, dra chen dzin, Sanskrit: Sthavira Rahula): the actual son of the buddha Shakyamuni and the 10th arhat from the set of 16 great arhats; accompanied by Chudapantaka, Pindola Bharadvaja, Pantaka and Nagasena.

Youthful in appearance, calm in expression, with short dark hair and a tuft like a crown protuberance, he holds with the two hands a golden tiara - a gift of the gods from the Heaven of Thirty-three. Attired in an outer robe of orange patchwork strips, he wears a blue-green inner garment with long sleeves. Atop a blue mat decorated with gold designs, he sits with the legs forward, the feet resting on a pink lotus blossom rising from a dark blue pond. The head is framed with a bright orange areola. At the left is a standing attendant.

"On the Island of Priyangku is the noble elder Rahula, surrounded by 1,100 arhats; homage to the One holding a jewelled tiara." (Sakya liturgical text).

At the top left is the arhat Chudapantaka, at the right Pindola Bharadvaja. At the bottom left is arhat Pantaka and on the right Nagasena.

The Sixteen Great Arhats are generally painted as a set. The full group would include the buddha Shakyamuni, the 16 arhats, the attendant Dharmatala, the patron Hva-shang and the Four Guardians of the Directions - Vaishravana, Virupaksha, Dritarashtra and Virudhaka.

Jeff Watt 4-2000