Araniko

• "Arniko, the Great Architect From Nepal" at OhMyNews.com

Nepal has produced stars of brilliant personalities who contributed a lot to humanity and society through their arduous travels, skills and knowledge. But some of these personalities are not recorded in annals of Nepal due to utter negligence and simply due to lack of information about them. Although Araniko is one of the key figures in the arts of Nepal, Tibet and Yuan China he is still poorly understood. According to Chinese sources his legendary life and career over nearly sixty years had a lasting artistic and spiritual influence on Asia and on China in particular. The magnitude of his accomplishments rivals those of Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, and Leonardo in the West. In spite of his great contribution in China and Tibet his name is not even mentioned in the annals of Nepal. Little is known about his contribution on his Buddhist artistic skills. He built White Pagoda in Beijing, Wu ta'i Shan, Golden Pagoda in Tibet and constructed a great deal of monasteries, shrines, paintings, portraits, artifacts and even scientific equipments. The present study has planned to throw light on the contribution of Arniko for the development of Buddhism and artistic heritage in China. He not only built Buddhist monasteries but also Confucius shrines, wall paintings and numerous images of this tradition. Arniko’s ten accomplishments at the court were enumerated. The first six of his achievements include his mastery in gold, Jade, terracotta and the like. The last four mention four specific textile artist embroidery and three types of weaving namely damask, brocade and tapestry. While Nepalese history is scantily recorded, there is one exception: substantial information on Arniko’s life is found in Chinese historical sources, which provide a rare glimpse into the Nepali artist's society, family, career, and art.

Names:A word of note concerning the name of this great Master must be mentioned before commencing biographical notes of this master. Great French Savant Sylvain Levi mentions from Yuanshi-203 about his name as follows: A-r-ni-ko was a native of Native of Nepal. The people of kingdom of Nepal call him as Pa-le- pou. P. Peliot, the eminent Mongolian scholar and Yuan specialist was intrigued by the name of Aniko. His research left him to the opinion that the cognomen was neither a Mongolian pseudonym nor proper Newari but Hindi not Sanskrit and a variant of Anango, one of the 84 Mahasiddhas. He could not decide this even. P. Pelliot suggested that Pa-le-pou is Bal-po, the Tibetan name for Nepal spelt as Pa-le-pou in the biography of A-ni-ko. According to the Chinese epitaph written Chengjufu it is mentioned as “The Master’s name is Anige. He was one of the descendants of a king of Nepal” Luciano Petech interprets that –A-ni-ko is the correct form of the name, as attested by the funeral inscription and by the early editions of the Yuan –shin

Arniko’s family lineage: Arniko, the greatest artist of Nepal and the highest artisan-official at the court of the Mongol emperor Khubilai Khan, was born in 1245. His father's name was La-Ko- na and his grand father's name was Mi-ti-erh. His grandmother was Chundi laxmi (Chinese: Kun di la qi Mei) and his mother shu-ma-ketai1. Based on the Chinese epitaph we have been able to identify the names of the family members partly in Chinese and partly in Nepalese names only. According to the official Chinese epitaph, Arniko was descended from a king of Nepal. His royal lineage cannot be the contemporary kings or princes. Concerning his royal birth lineage it is highly probable that he was born in Sakya family of Patan.2 Tradition is that he was a descendant of Buddha Shakyamuni's family. Because in the inscription he was mentioned as descendents of royal family. Sakyas of Kathmandu valley still use their lineage as Sakyavamsa i.e of lineage of Sakya. The names of his wife and grandmother suggest Sakya family of the Patan city at present time as well. Arniko, with the ancestral home in Patan in Nepono was called as “Balubu” by the people at that time as an architect.3 Mr. Thomas L. Guta in his article on “Aniko: Image weaver” mentions:4 But first one similarity among all the accounts the mention of Aniko’s royal Nepalese ancestry. This glaring improbability need not be accepted at face value nor rejected out of hand for it tells us more about social institutions than artistic traditions. It was not an uncommon de-facto assignation to legitimize marriage to royalty, in this case a Mongol Princess.

Arniko’s birth place: In the History of Yuan dynasty he was mentioned as from Nepal known as Palupu-Nipaar-But the exact birthplace of Arniko has not yet been identified. According to Mr. Satya Mohan Joshi,5 his birthplace is identified at Lalitpur or Patan where the tradition of building Buddhist statues, sculptures, is still maintained today. He was born in the place where bronze statues are created and casted as mentioned in the inscription installed in his cemetery.6 Arniko was not born into wealth or favored circumstances; his parents seem to have been neither rich nor poor. While they could afford to send him to school, they also needed his manual.

His early career and education: When he was three years old, his parents took him to a Buddhapuja ceremony in a monastery. After seeing the Buddha temple he had expressed his sentiments: “Oh! Who could be the builder of the pinnacle and pillars of this temple?” At this many people were surprised and said: “If this boy can speak such a profound words even at this small age, in the future he can be a great architect who will build Buddhist temples. This boy speaks just like an adult”.9 We are told, in the Chinese epitaph, that his parents in 1247 once took the child to a temple to pay homage to the Buddha. Looking up at a stupa (a Buddhist reliquary mound), the three- year-old boy asked about the symbolism of various parts of the monument and its maker. He also asked about wooden stambha10, bhumis11 andanda. Greatly surprised, the people around realized that he was a born artist. From so young a source, his questions inspired wonder among people nearby, who saw in him a prodigy destined to become a great artist ... or so the legend goes12. When he was about seven, 1252 C.E. his temperament was sober like an adult. He entered school to study western books. He soon understood them and became good at writing.It is said that his knowledge exceeded that of his teachers. Even venerable elders acknowledged their inferiority. The sutras of measurements were books on arts. He memorized them as soon as he heard them read. It is said that he could recite from memory an entire text on Iconometry after a single reading. In a very short time he mastered the three aspects of image making: designing, molding and Casting. When he was little older, he often made things that were extremely exquisite. Sylvain Levi reads thus "Arniko was a native of Nepal. The people of that kingdom call him Pa-le- pou.When quite young he displayed a bright intelligence of superior kind to that of ordinary children. When he grew a little older he could recite from memory the Buddhist texts and at the end of a year he understood them all. Among his school fellows there was one who was a sketcher, painter, modeler, decorator and who recited the Law of Measurements. He only heard it once and Arniko was able to repeat it. On growing older he became an expert sketcher himself and excelled in the art of modeling and melting into shapes, images in metal"

Before he left Nepal for Tibet, he was already an expert in painting, modeling and casting images.14 He has learnt Sanskrit language as well in his childhood and writes the letters very nicely. Even the old man of his time used to be jealous of his learning. He had also learnt the texts like Buddhapratimalaksana shastra15 concerning iconometrics. It seems that he had the capacity of memorizing the texts once he had heard. Other signs of Aniko's genius are cited in the epitaph: "He is described as mature and contemplative like an adult. He is a brilliant student. Endowed with an acute mind, he quickly comprehends his textbooks and becomes a good calligrapher. His work is admired even by venerable elders, who readily acknowledge their inferiority. By nature he has a keen interest in treatises on art. No sooner has he heard them read than he has them memorized. As he grows, he frequently produces art objects of exquisite quality. At school, he mastered his text books and became a good calligrapher in such a short time that even the venerable elders16 acknowledged their inferiority. He could memorize treatises on art as soon as he heard them read.17He is particularly good at painting and sculpture. By the age of sixteen, he is one of the best artisans of the country."

Arniko and his team visit Tibet in Sakya monastery to construct Golden Stupa. After receiving the decree to construct Golden stupa from Kubilai Khan, the emperor then ‘Phags-pa turned to Nepal for artists. Tibetan Buddhists had always looked toward Nepal, the birthplace of the Buddha and Buddhism for religious and artistic inspiration. But by the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, Buddhism in India had declined. The last remnants of Indic Buddhism were in the eastern Gangetic region, where the Pala artistic tradition had flourished, though by 1260 those remnants had long since disappeared.' Nepal remained the only stronghold where the Tibetans could still find Buddhist art of the Indic tradition. According to the History of Yuan Dynasty, in 1260 Kublai khan, the great ruler of China and suzerain of the Mongol states and Tibet, requested his spiritual teacher, the abbot of Sa-skya,' Phags-pa (1235-80), to erect a "Golden stupa"20 in Tibet. Phags-pa intended to recruit as many as one hundred artists for the project.The number may not have been large by the standards of the Mongol empire, which had incalculable human and financial resources. But for the small kingdom of Nepal, which had been devastated by repeated wars, famines, and earthquakes, to find so many qualified artists in a short time was not easy. One-hundred Newar artists were to be found and sent for the task, and the king of Nepal, Jaya Bhima Malla (1257-71), managed to gather eighty of them. To head them he chose a member of royal family, Arniko who, though, then aged only sixteen, had specifically requested to lead the team. Before sending them to Tibet, he received them personally and ordered them to select a leader among themselves. Nobody was willing to take charge. Then Arniko, one of the youngest, volunteered to take up the responsibility.' He nominated himself not with the rashness of adolescence but with self-confidence. 19 Luciano Petech in Medieval History of Nepal, p.99-100 20 S.Levi,op.cit;,vol 3,p.187, A stupa according to L. Petech,Medieval History of Nepal,op.cit.p.99, and others following G.Tucci Tibetan Painted Scrolls,op.cit, vol.1,pp.277-8, and Tibet,Calcutta,1967,p.100. 7

When asked about his age, he answered, "Sixteen." The king hesitated and tried to discourage the lad, for he was looking for someone more advanced in age and experience. But the confident youth replied, "My body is young indeed, but my mind is not." In spite of his young age, Arniko was already an accomplished draughtsman, model and metal caster. It appears that he was also expert in painting and weaving in brocade. Convinced of the young man's ability, the king entrusted him with the responsibility of leading the team to Tibet.Arniko and the Nepalese artists arrived in Tibet in 1261. Arniko in China Arniko's success had been such that Lama 'Phags-pa insisted him and asked him to visit China. Following ‘Phags-pa, Arniko arrived in Dadu (Beijing) by the end of 1262. After arriving at China, Arniko appeared in the presence of Emperor Kublai khan in the palace. The Emperor having observed him for a long time before speaking and interrogated, "You arrived in the celestial Empire. Do you not get frightened?" The Emperor interrupted, “Why were you so?” He responded: “Our stately trade is as a son of ten thousand countries. For a son to arrive before his father, what reason is there to fear?” He replied: “My fatherland is in the country of the occident. I had received the order of the sovereign to erect a stupa in Tibet. In two years I have executed that order. There I have observed disorder and war; the people are incapable of protecting their life,” The emperor asked: “What is that you know making?”He replied: “I know well how to design, model and mould metals.” The emperor tested Arniko’s skill by asking to repair a bronze statue that had been judged as damaged “beyond repair” by all the other court artists. Arniko accepted the challenge. Then ordered to restore a statue of copper dedicated to the Song Emperors Aniko becames supervisor-in-chief. In 1273, Aniko became supervisor-in-chief of all classes of artisans. Under his direction a department in charge of artisans was established in 1275. During Khubilai's rule, this was one of the two most important artistic institutions of the dynasty. As director of this grade, Arniko supervised thousands of artisans and was responsible for religious images, imperial portraits, and other court projects. He cast gold seals for the heir to the throne and several princes and cast gold- and silver-lettered roundels as travel passes. He produced astronomical instruments such as an armillary sphere and a water clock. He made new symbols of the emperor's sovereignty, based on designs from Nepalese culture such as thedharmacakra (Wheel of the Law), which was used to lead imperial processions, and the image of Garuda, the celestial bird that was displayed over the imperial throne. The conception of these new symbols of imperial sovereignty did not originate with Arniko, but it was his materialization of them that made them effective symbols of Khubilai's dynastic 8

power. Not limited to the court, their influence penetrated even to the lower levels of Chinese society. White Pagoda at Beijing (1271-79) The White Pagoda is located in the western part of the city of Beijing. It was built in the 8th year of Zhi Yuan (1271 A.D.) and completed in the Zhi Yuan (1279 A.D.) of the Yuan dynasty.21.When it was completed a big religious function was organized by the emperor to initialize it. Upon arrival of the emperor to the White Pagoda a powerful heavenly light beam struck on it and the Pagoda glowed. According to the Chinese chronicles, floods of sunlight suddenly broke the clouds and illuminated the skies when the Stupas were dedicated, on separate occasions. In any case these dramatic effects delighted the Mongol rulers and convinced them of the sacred nature of the monuments and the supernatural abilities of their designer and builder. The emperor was astonished to see this and believed Arniko had divine powers. The emperor made him a powerful minister in the court. He was given the title of Liang Guo Gong (duke) and was posthumously given the title of Ming Hui.22 After its completion, a monastery of great dimensions was constructed in front of it and granted the name "the monastery of greatness, holy, longevity, and everlasting peace and tranquility". For Arniko, heavenly blessing materialized into earthly reward. For the first stupa he was awarded fifteen thousand acres of rich farm land around the capital, nearly one thousand serfs, and one hundred head of cattle. Arniko builts Sarira Pagoda at Wutai shan-1301 Arniko constructed another White Stupa at Taihuai in the central part of the Wutai Mountain in 1301.An imperial order, issued jointly with the fifth Yuan imperial Preceptor Grags pa ‘od zer (1246-1303) from the Wutai mountain, indicates that Temur and the Imperial Preceptor were also in the Wutai Mountain in the fourth month of the same year. Their trip there must have been related to the construction of the stupa.It is said that auspicious clouds and lights appeared in the sky at the beginning of the construction. To the general public, such a view not only demonstrated the sacred nature of the monument but also added to Arniko’s renown. At the beginning of the construction, auspicious clouds and glow appeared in the sky.It is especially popular among Nepalese, Tibetans and Mongolians. Besides, he made many Monasteries and houses for pilgrims there. It has also survived and stands fifty two meters in hight Ads by Google Happiness Conference 2010 Special Guest the Dalai Lama Brisbane - June 16 - 17, 2011 www.happinessandItscauses.com.au Anna Niblic Heggie Gallery Lennox Head Australia painter photograher photo media www.niblic.com

2. Grand Master Ashula He was born to Yan from Taiyuan and called grand Master for excellent council (Jiayi dafu) [3a] anddaruhachi of the supervisorate- in –chief of All Classes of Artisans. He had taken responsibility in the department of fine arts as chairman. 3. The Great artist Liu Yuan A Chinese Daoist priest was one of the famous disciples of Arniko. In the seventh year of the founding of Yuan dynasty, 1270 A.D Kublai Khan was looking for a well known artist for the construction of new monastery Ran Wang monastery in Tahu. He had an opportunity to meet Arniko during that time. He learnt the technique ofSithen in creating Buddhist statues from Arniko and later he became expert in creating Buddhist statues or his skills attained its zenith. Later, when the monasteries were built in Beijing and Shangdu (Mongolia), most of the golden images and terracotta images were built by Liu Yuan himself. Later he attained the position of Chang fang taphu mishu chen tsin and became a famous sculptor. People called him Lu Chang fang. The real continuator of his school and his chief pupil was the Chinese Liu Yuan27. The tradition of Arniko lasted for a long time among the Buddhist sculptors in China, and is still upheld in the introduction to a late iconometric treatise, theTs ao-hs ieang-tu-liang-ching28 of his school The style of Buddhist art created by Arniko and Liu Yuan is called Fan she style while before this period most of the art style were in Han style.29 The tradition of Arniko lasted for a long time among the Buddhist sculptors in China, and is still upheld in the introduction to an 18th century iconometric treatise, the Zaoxiang dliang jimgjie, by the Mongolian scholar mGon-po- skyab (c.1690-1750).30These textile portraits have not survived, but the two models are still in existence, now in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Last days On November 10, 1305, Arniko received an order from the empress Buluhan but all the tantric deities were destroyed in front of him. It was catastrophic blow to him. 27 Abouthim P.Pelliot has described in detail in his work,”Les grandes voyages maritimes chinois au debut du XV siècle, in Toung Pao, XXX ( 1933),pp.195-197 28 Taisho n.1419; vol.xxi,p 939a. 29 (Chunggo Fo xiao -Buddhism in China pp.109) 30 Lo bue p.266 12 To Arniko, the order was more than destruction of the statues. It was the destruction of his faith, his work, his dignity, and his unwavering loyalty to the Mongol dynasty. For more than forty years his works had been admired, praised, and regarded as models of artistic and spiritual purity at the Mongol court and throughout the empire. Suddenly, however, they were denounced and destroyed. He had never suffered such a humiliation before. His health failed, and he fell ill after returning from a court session. Two days later he died. Following Nepali custom, he was cremated, and his ashes were buried in a stupa near the capital three months later. Before his incoming death, Arniko gathered his disciples and said: “When I was about to die, you put me in a bed and encircle me with a screen and let me die in peace.” As he said, after bathing, he went to meet the emperor and returned to his home. He told his servants about his crucial pain of death. As soon as the emperor came to know his illness, he sent his royal doctor for the treatment. But it is of no avail. Palace envoys and doctors visited, but he passed away in sleep on the eleventh. He died when he was 62 years old. The emperor Temur grieved over his death after hearing the news and halted the court session. He ordered palace officials to take care of his family and rewarded the family 25000 teals of silver. The emperor ordered the authorities concerned to make arrangements for the funeral. That night a star fell into the courtyard. The next day saw icicles on the trees. On next day i.e March 12th, his body was put on a palanquin or (New: khat) and cremated and on the seventh day all the purification rituals were performed according to Newar Buddhist tradition. Since his Newar wife was already in China she must have performed the death rituals as per Newar Buddhist tradition. After five months, on the fifteenth day of July, a Caitya was built in his name and his ashes were buried in a stupa at Gangziyuan, Wanping County near the capital. Aniko's achievements at court are summarized in his Chinese epitaph: the construction of three stupas, nine great Buddhist temples, two Confucian shrines, one Daoist temple, and countless images and objects made for the emperor, his imperial family, the court, and private persons. Conclusion He was a genius. While living in China for more than forty-five years he earned highest imperial positions and honors in Yuan dynasty. His constructions and creations of arts and artifacts have earned high appreciation and admiration for him from Chinese and other people all over the world since hundreds of years. With contributions in developing arts and architecture in China he earned great prestige and honor for Nepal and the Nepalese people. The Chinese people regard Arniko as a symbol of Nepal China friendship. Arniko's biography is more than a story of a Nepali artist's gallant adventure and phenomenal success in foreign lands. It is also a story of 13 Ads by Google Imperial China Tours We offer personalized group tours & private guided tours to China. www.imperialchinatours.com In a Minds Eye Contemporary West Australian Landscapes by painter Carole Ayres www.ayresart.com

how Himalayan Buddhist art became an international style. That style continued to thrive after Aniko's death and eventually became the basis for the Buddhist art at the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing courts and in Mongolia. Most of the Stupas built by Arniko are preserved as heritage monuments. Cheng Jufu (1249 - 1318), the writer of his epitaph saw a portrait of Arniko. He inscribed on the portrait a poem praising Aniko's "noble appearance," diligence, and irreplaceable talent. We have seen from above discussion that Arniko was not only acquainted with but had attained mastery of the weaving arts traditionally associated with China. He was able to work in a number of styles and media. As a number of old Newar sketch books illustrate they had no difficulty imitating the Chinese or Indian styles. Although some of his critics expressed their sentiments that his knowledge did not expand beyond his profession Cheng Jufu appreciates his talents in this way in his epitaph:31 When the sage Kubilai rose, he came to the court in spite of thousands of mile. Seeing, admiring, feeling and learning, he greatly widened his horizon. Therefore, he was able to accomplish imperial orders and became the great Master of an age. Indeed, luck is also human relationship. Otherwise how could he have received glory and prominence to such an extent? Those who prepared and invented things for the benefit of the world were sages. The skilled have been continuing the works. Although it is difficult to know if the master's skill surpassed that of the skilled in ancient times, his fame certainly does. Is that wonderful