Sixteen
abandoned figures in one of the Gate Rooms |
The
two rooms in Tian Hoiu Miao's Main Gate are used as storage for
statues that are no longer wanted (see Donated
Deities for more on this custom, and pictures of more of this
temple's statues).
Sixteen of the
eighteen arhats are represented here. Although there
are only sixteen in some traditions, given that Number
5 is
with a tiger, and Number 13 with a dragon, and that "The Dragon-Subduing Arhat" and
"The Tiger-Taming Arhat" are generally the additions to
the original sixteen, it seems likely that this was a set of
eighteen, with two missing.
I have not
identified these figures. They are carved from wood.
The iconography
generally seems to be that of the figures at Hsi
Lai Temple, in contrast to the images
inside the Main Hall.
They
are shown in no particular order, as they seem to be moved
frequently. Please forgive the quality; they were shot
"on-site," close-up and with a hand-held camera!
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