Himalayan Art Resources

Arhat/Sthavira: Nagasena Main Page

Nagasena Masterworks

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Nagasena Description (below)
- Tibetan Iconography
- Chinese Iconography
- Arhats Main Page
- Confusions
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Tibetan: Neten Lu'i De (gnas brtan klu'i sde)

Nagasena the Elder (Tibetan: ne ten, lu'i de. Sanskrit: Sthavira Nagasena): from the set of 16 great arhats.

"On the King of Mountains, Vipulopa is the noble elder Nagasena, surrounded by 1,200 arhats; homage to the One holding a vase and a khakkhara staff." (Sakya liturgical verse).

The Sixteen Great Arhats are generally painted as a set. Typically the full group would include the Buddha Shakyamuni with the 2 foremost disciples, the 16 great arhats, the attendant Dharmatala, the patron Hvashang and the Four Guardians of the Directions: Vaishravana, Virupaksha, Dritarashtra and Virudhaka.

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Jeff Watt 3-2002 [updated 8-2017, 1-2020]