This small portrait depicts arhat Ajita as a meditating hermit clad in thick robes and a heavy hood, a standard iconographic portrayal of the master. He is rooted on a two-tiered cushion, which would have been placed in a cave on Mt Rsi ("Mountain of Sages"), where the arhat resides after the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha.
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The name Ajita means "The Unsubdued", probably related to the story of his successful fetching of a princess with the most excellent of elephants, in order to have King Prasenajit agree to their marriage. This talented young man eventually abandoned his wealth and power, and became one of the sixteen disciples of Buddha.
Dinwiddie, Donald. Portraits of the Masters: Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages. United Kingdom: Pallas Athene, 2003, pp.78-9, no.2.
Published & Exhibited
Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.155, no.102.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2243