Painted Banner (Thangka) from a Set of Seven Honoring Gayadhara, a Sakya Pandit from India

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This thangka features Dharmatala (or Dharmata), a legendary lay devotee of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Dharmatala begins to appear in art with the sixteen arhats in the 14th century, and is named in verses of praise to the arhats from the 12th-13th century. Dharmatala is only depicted in art alongside the sixteen arhats; however, in some traditions he is considered to be an emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Dharmatala is one of the additional figures who make up the full iconographic grouping included with representations of Shakyamuni and the sixteen arhats, the subject of the seven thangka set to which this work belongs. Such sets typically contain twenty-five figures in all, centering on Shakyamuni surrounded by his close attendants Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, the sixteen arhats, the four guardian kings who protect the cardinal directions, and the two devotees, Hvashang and Dharmatala. This grouping became a popular subject for both devotional practice and artistic representation. In painting, the group may appear in a single thangka or in sets with one or more figures per thangka. In the present work, Dharmatala is accompanied by two of the guardian kings, Vaishravana

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