Three Arhats are depicted riding on the back of a giant carp, surrounded by two guardian figures at left, an attendant standing at the edge of the water with a tiger, all set in a green and blue landscape.

The present thangka depicts three arhats riding on a giant carp travelling to the Court of the Chinese Emperor. This would have belonged to a larger set og thangkas depicting episodes from the journey that arhats made to China. While textual sources are inadequate and late regarding this narrative, they name Taizong of the Tang Dynasty as the Emperor of China in the story. Another example from a set depicting three arhats riding a carp is in the Donald and Shelley Rubin Collection (Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 704).