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 the 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 Inner China and Tibet to make a number of pagoda-style structures. 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".
Early years
Araniko was born in 1245 in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, when it was ruled by King Abhaya Malla (1216–55). While Nepalese history does not have any record of Arniko and everything that is known of him comes from Chinese accounts, Chinese history and historian Baburam Acharya opines that Araniko could possibly be from Patan, a place famous for sculptures and fine arts. As such, he would have been a Buddhist but his Newar caste is open to speculation. However, it is known that Araniko lived in Kathmandu Valley also during the reign of Jayabhimadeva (1255-71), the successor of Abhaya Malla.
In the Chinese records, the name of his grandfather is given as "Mi-ti-rha" and grandmother as "Kun-di-la-qi-mei", Chinese pronunciation for Sanskrit names Mitra and Kundalaxmi respectively. His father's name was "La-ke-na" (Lakshman) while his mother's name was "Shu-ma-ke-tai". </blockquote>
The Emperor was greatly pleased and asked young Araniko to repair an important bronze idol presented as a gift by a Song emperor. It took him two years to finish the restoration. In the second month of 1265, Arniko finished the restoration and the statue looked so perfect that even the most skilled artists of China greatly admired his work. Taking almost ten years (1279–1288 CE) to complete, the Stupa better known as White Dagoba, is still standing today. It rises to a height of 50.9 meters and has a diameter of over 30 meters at its base. Thirteen broad circular bands of molding, called the “Thirteen Heavens,” divide its surface. At the apex of the cone is an umbrella-like bronze disc structure with 36 bronze bells hanging from its rim. At the very top is a small bronze pagoda, in itself a work of art. In 1961, then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai signed a Proclamation stating that the Temple was to be protected as a National Treasure. This Proclamation kept the White Stupa safe during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. In 1976, the temple was seriously damaged by the Tangshan earthquake. The top of the stupa tilted to one side, and the bricks and mortar supporting the stupa crumbled off, and many relics were broken. In 1978, the Beijing Department of Cultural Relics undertook the task of repairing and renovating the temple. As of 2010, the Stupa complex is currently undergoing another renovation.
It is summarized in his epitaph that during his lifetime, Arniko completed three stupas, nine great Buddhist temples, two Confucian shrines, one Daoist temple, and countless images and objects used in and out of the court.
Araniko was accorded with high honors during his lifetime. He was named Director of All Artisan Classes in 1273 and trained many Chinese craftsmen in the Sakya style. By 1274, he was given a silver plate to wear with an image of a tiger on it. The emperor became very fond of him and gave him the title "Duke of Liang" as an honour. Decorated with Ta Sa Thu, an equivalent of a minister, he is among the few foreigners whose biography can be found in Chinese imperial history books. The most important source of Arniko's life and career is his official epitaph written by Cheng Jufu (1249–1314) under Ayurbarwada's (Renzong, r. 1311–20) order of 1316, Liangguo Minhui gong shendao bei (The Spirit-way Stele for Minhui, the Duke of State of Liang), in Cheng Jufu, Cheng Xuelou wenji (The Collective Works of Cheng Jufu). Another important source is Arniko's official biography in Song Lian and Wang Yi, Yuanshi (The Yuan History), compiled under the supervision of the early Ming dynasty. It is largely based on the epitaph but contains some new information as well.
Death
Arniko had six sons, two of whom, Asengge () and Ashula () followed his career path as artists working for the Yuan dynasty. He lived in China until his death in March 1306 at the age of sixty-two. Of his death Cheng Jufu writes:
<blockquote> On the eighth of March of 1306, he looked at the people around himself and said, "If I am going, you should set up curtains in the hall and a couch, so that I can pass away in peaceful sleep." The next day, he took a bath and went to court. After returning, he appeared ill. Palace envoys and doctors visited, but he passed away in sleep on the eleventh. The emperor grieved over his death after hearing the news and halted the court session. He ordered palace officials to take care of the family and reward the family with twenty-five thousand taels 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. Seven days later, on the seventeenth of March, his remains were cremated according to Nepali custom. On the fifteenth of July, his ashes were buried in the stupa at Gangziyuan, Xiangshan, Wanping County (near the capital). The Araniko Highway in Nepal is also named after him.
Cultural references
thumb|Statue of Araniko at Nepal Bhasa Academy, Kirtipur
- Araniko Highway in Nepal.
- In 1984, Satya Mohan Joshi wrote a book-length poem in Nepal Bhasa entitled "Nepal-ya Rastriye Bibhuti Kalakar Arniko-ya Sweta Chaitya," published by Nepal Bhasa Parishad.
- In 2008, Anu Raj Joshi translated Satya Mohan Joshi's book on Arniko into English with the new title "The Lasting Gift", in the form of free verses.
- In 2010, in the "World Expo Park of Shanghai" at Expo 2010 Shanghai, which opened on 1 May 2010, had a "Nepal Araniko Center" in the Highlight 1 section of Nepal Pavilion. Nepal Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai, which opened on 1 May 2010, has been visited by a record 750,000 visitors. The number of average visitors per day was 25,000 and the number of visitors was more than 40,000 on weekends and holidays. Leading Chinese language online news site placed Nepal Pavilion within the top ten popular expo pavilions.
- A Nepali-born Swiss carpenter sought to design and manufacture handmade skateboards named after Araniko called, Arniko Skateboards. Later on, the project expanded to include skateboarding fashion.
- A terrestrial broadcasting channel based in Kathmandu, Nepal was also named after Araniko. Affectionately dubbed as Araniko Television, the segway intro features a white stupa.
- Araniko Statue in China: A reference to the white stupa that Araniko and the artisans built in Tibet under the guidance of Phags-pa.