White Tara is popularly worshipped in Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal and many other countries. She grants long life to her devotees. Moreover she helps practitioner overcome obstacles, particularly impediments to the practice of religion. She too has the power to grant wishes and to protect devotees from danger and distress. She is said to look after the good beings. She has seven eyes the normal ones, one vertical eye on her forehead, and one in the palm of each hand and sole of each foot. Just as with Avalokiteshvara's thousand eyes, these symbolize the capacity to see all those in need in all four corners of earth. In Nepal, Buddhists called her Sapta-Lochani Tara or Seven-Eyed Tara with reverence.
The sweet faced Sitatara is gracefully seated in vajraparyankasana on lotuses with leaves. Her right hand is in varamudra the gesture of offering material and spiritual gifts. Her left hand, holding the stem of lotus flower, is in vitarka mudra. She has a lovely young face and her body is slim and slender. Her black hair is partly upswept in beautiful knots with decoration on it and partly falls on her shoulders. She wears flowery crown. There is small image of Buddha in her headdress. She wears gold hoop earrings with dangle. Her heavy gold necklaces have been executed with floral motifs. She also wears gold armlets, bangles and anklets. Moreover she wears sky-blue scarf with gold decoration on it and a plain brown scarf draped around her chest. Her lower garments are painted in an exceptionally lively manner.
There is a white mandorla and light blue halo behind her body and head, respectively. The elaborate border of blue silk brocade depicts gold circular shou motifs represent gold Chinese coins and are used as good-luck symbols. This is perhaps a rare type of painting as it shows the goddess in sky to observe the sufferings of whole universe. This type of thangka is hardly available in art mart. This painting is also very much suitable to ritual and meditation.
Select Bibliography
A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962
B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Calcutta, 1968
Ben Meulenbeld, Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thangka, Holland, 2001
Lokesh Chandra, Transcendental Art of Tibet, Delhi, 1996
Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A.F. Thurman, Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1999
This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)".
Click Here to View the Thangka Painting along with its Brocade
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist