The Lasting Gift

English translation of Satya Mohan Joshi's Nepal-ya Rastriye Bibhuti Kalakar Arniko-ya Sweta Chaitya. Poetic fiction based on true story of a Nepalese hero who crossed the Himalayas more than 700 years ago and designed and built many masterpieces in China. Regarded a historical treasure, the White Dagoba in Beijing built in 8 years (1271-79) is 51 meters tall and is open to tourists. The hero Arniko is spelled variously as Arnico, Arnice, A ni ka, A ni ge etc by different authors. He is among the few foreigners whose biography can be found in Chinese imperial history books. Yuan Dynasty records describe him as an accomplished architect, painter, sculptor and mechanical engineer. He was decorated with Da Sa Thu equivalent of a minister and many other titles. Two paintings by him is preserved in National Palace Museum of Taiwan in Taipei.