On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Portrait of the Last Indian Pandit, Vanaratna
Vanaratna (1384–1468), born in the eastern port city of Chittagong (in modern Bangladesh), searched for Buddhist teachings long after the great Buddhist centers of north India had fallen into ruin. After visiting south India and Sri Lanka, he settled in Nepal and made three trips to Tibet, where he enjoyed great status, taught students, and helped establish Kalachakra Tantrism. Like the Indian monk Atisha, he wears the hat of a north Indian pandita (learned one) and holds a Sanskrit text in his left hand. Surrounding him is a Vajravali lineage of Tibetan teachers. Both this painting and those of the Tibetan site Gyantse, which were executed by Nepali artisans, share many features, an association that also aids in dating this image of Vanaratna.
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