A thanka, pigments on fabric; Tara, goddess of mercy, holds in her left hand a lotus blossom; her right hand expresses gesture of 'varada mudra' (compassion); Upper right corner is Padmasambhava with Karmavajra on his left and a llama between; three protective images are represented at the bottom.

Sgrol-dkar (The White Tara or White Savioress), 18th century

Unknown artist, expand_more
Not on Viewexpand_more

Tara, the goddess of mercy, is one of the most popular deities of Tibetan Buddhism. She is incarnated in two principal forms, green and white, symbolizing night and day, respectively. Both are consorts of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion and the patron deity of the largest school of Tibetan Buddhism, the Yellow Hat Sect. Here Tara holds in her left hand a lotus blossom, symbol of spiritual purity and her standard attribute. Her right hand expresses the gesture of bestowing compassion, the varada mudra. In the upper right corner is Padmasambhava, the great Indian teacher, with Karmavajra on the left and a lama between. At the bottom of the thanka are three protective images, including Mahakala and Lhamo who act here as wrathful guardians of Buddhist thought.

Details
Title
Sgrol-dkar (The White Tara or White Savioress)
Role
Artist
Accession Number
91.23.2
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

A thanka, pigments on fabric; Tara, goddess of mercy, holds in her left hand a lotus blossom; her right hand expresses gesture of 'varada mudra' (compassion); Upper right corner is Padmasambhava with Karmavajra on his left and a llama between; three protective images are represented at the bottom.