# Araniko

_Nepalese artist and architect (c. 1245 – c. 1306)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/araniko
Last updated: 2026-10-12

> Aniko, Anige or Araniko 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.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 1244 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q626019#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Kathmandu Valley ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q626019#P19))
- **Died:** 1306 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q626019#P570))
- **Place of death:** Khanbaliq ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q626019#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Malla ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q626019#P27))
- **Occupation:** architect; painter; astronomer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q626019#P106))

## Questions

**When was Araniko born?**  
Araniko was born on 1244 in Kathmandu Valley.

## Related

- [Kathmandu Valley](https://diginpl.com/places/kathmandu-valley)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Araniko](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araniko) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): अरनिको](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8B) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q626019](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q626019) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Statue of Araniko in Miaoying Temple.jpg by user:smartneddy (CC BY-SA 2.5)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_of_Araniko_in_Miaoying_Temple.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Araniko, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Statue of Araniko in Miaoying Temple.jpg — user:smartneddy, CC BY-SA 2.5.

## Cite this page

"Araniko". DigiNepal. Last updated 12 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/araniko. Retrieved 21 October 2026.