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Araniko
EntityQ626019· pop 27· linked from 304 articles

Also known as A-ni-go, Arniko, A-ni-ko, A-ni-ke, Anige, Balabahu

Aniko, Anige or Araniko (, ; 1245–1306) was one of the key figures in the arts of Nepal and the Yuan dynasty of China, and the artistic exchanges in these areas. He was born in Kathmandu Valley during the reign of Abhaya Malla. He is known for building the White Stupa at the Miaoying Temple in Beijing. During the reign of Jayabhimadeva, he was sent on a project to build a golden stupa in Tibet, where he also initiated into monkhood. From Tibet, he was sent further to northern China to work in the court of the emperor Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty, where he brought the trans-Hima

Key facts

Artist.image
Statue of Araniko in Miaoying Temple.jpg
Artist.alt
stone statue of Araniko outside the Miaoying Temply in Beijinh
Artist.caption
Statue of Araniko at the Miaoying Temple, Beijing
Artist.birth_place
Nepal Mandala ()
Artist.death_place
Yuan Dynasty
Artist.known_for
Nepalese artist in the court of Kublai Khan
Artist.notable_works
White stupa at Miaoying Temple
Artist.spouse
12
Artist.children
6
Artist.memorials
Statue of Araniko at the Miaoying Temple, Beijing

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Statue of Araniko in Miaoying Temple.jpg
Show 5 more facts
date of birth
1244-00-00
date of death
1306-00-00
Commons Creator page
Araniko
Commons category
Araniko
name in native language
अरनिको
Sources (2)

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~17 min read

Article

10 sections
Contents
  • Early years
  • Mission to Yuan-China
  • Historical background
  • Lhasa
  • Shangdu
  • Death
  • Legacy
  • Cultural references
  • References
  • Further reading

Aniko, Anige or Araniko (, ; 1245–1306) was one of the key figures in the arts of Nepal and the Yuan dynasty of China, and the artistic exchanges in these areas. He was born in Kathmandu Valley during the reign of Abhaya Malla. He is known for building the White Stupa at the Miaoying Temple in Beijing. During the reign of Jayabhimadeva, he was sent on a project to build a golden stupa in Tibet, where he also initiated into monkhood. From Tibet, he was sent further to northern China to work in the court of the emperor Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty, where he brought the trans-Himalayan artistic tradition to China. Araniko led a team of 80 artists to China proper and Tibet to make a number of pagoda-style buildings. In his later life, he renounced monkhood and started a family.

To some confusion in translation, his name is variously written as Arniko or Araniko in old texts. A mistake made by Baburam Acharya ascribed his Sanskrit name as Balabahu. However, later he contends that Aniko might possibly be the Chinese pronunciation for the Sanskrit name Aneka. It is also plausible that his name could mean AA Ni Ka, meaning "respectable brother from Nepal".

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