Home » Images » 0049 Pictures From History » CPA0024288

China: Vaisravana, one of the four Buddhist guardian kings. Khotan, 6th-7th century.

Vaiśravaṇa (Sanskrit) or Vessavaṇa (Pāli) also known as Jambhala in Tibet and Bishamonten in Japan is the name of the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology. Here he is depicted riding across the sea. The Buddhist era kings of Khotan claimed descent from Vaisravana, who is said to have come to live in the oasis when it was just a desert.

The Kingdom of Khotan was an ancient Buddhist kingdom that was located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim basin. The area lies in present day Xinjiang, China.

The ancient capital was originally located to the west of modern day Hotan (Chinese: 和田) at Yotkan. From the Han Dynasty until at least the Tang Dynasty it was known in Chinese as Yutian (Chinese: 于闐, 于窴).

The kingdom existed for over a thousand years until it was conquered by Muslim invaders in 1006.