Songgwangsa Temple Arhat Hall: Sixteen Arhats - Pindolabharadraja, Kanakabharadraja, and Nakula
Ink and color on silk
Songgwangsa Temple Arhat Hall: Sixteen Arhats - Kalika and Jivaka
Songgwangsa Temple Arhat Hall: Sixteen Arhats - Rahula, Angaja, and Ajita
Songgwangsa Temple Arhat Hall: Sixteen Arhats - Kanakavatsa, Subinda, and Bhadra
Songgwangsa Temple Arhat Hall: Sixteen Arhats - Vajraputra and Panthaka
Songgwangsa Temple Arhat Hall: Sixteen Arhats - Nagasena, Vanavasin, and Cudapanthaka
Songgwangsa Temple Arhat Hall: Sixteen Arhats
SOUTH KOREA, South Jeolla, Suncheon; Joseon dynasty
These pictures are found on either side of the Sakyamuni Buddha statue in the Arhat Hall of Songgwangsa Temple. Depictions of the Sixteen Arhats first appeared in China during the Late Tang period (846–907), inspired by descriptions in the Records of Nandimitra’s Discourse on Abiding Dharma. Korean portrayals of the Sixteen Arhats are also based on this scripture.
The Arhats all have green nimbuses. Some sit in meditation, while others read a sutra, converse, or join their palms in reverence. One Arhat uses a thin tool to scratch his back. Another is dressed in a colorful robe covered with patterned dots. Rugged mountains, swirling clouds, and trees are painted in the background. Inscriptions written in gold within red cartouches state the name of each figure.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z, page 862.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Wilson, Graham and Manho and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z},
pages = 862,
title = {{Songgwangsa Temple Arhat Hall: Sixteen Arhats}},
volume = 16,
year = {2016}}