Casted with his characteristic smiling face and gentle appearance, he holds a brown mongoose that expels jewels from its mouth.
Tibetan art frequently depicts the Buddha, Shakyamuni with Bakula and his principal disciples, known as the Arhats. (Tibetan: dra chom pa. English: Foe Destroyer).
Bakula the Elder, along with the other students, vowed not to pass into nirvana, but rather to use their special gifts to protect and reveal the Buddhadharma. In fact, one can read in the sutras, concerning the Buddha's death, that many of his closest disciples were unable to attend the occasion as they were out teaching in remote lands.
Type: Gilt Bronze Style: Buddha and Arhat Region: Mongolia Primary Iconography: Sthavira Bakula Tibetan: ne ten, ba ku la English: The Elder, the Foe DestroyerPeriod: 17th Century Dimensions: H. 6.5 Collection: Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts Photo: Glenn H. Mullin and B. Batbold
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