Probably derived from Sanskrit word Tarana, the name Tara means the ‘one who saves ’. An exceptionally compassionate Tibetan deity, her compassion for all suffering living beings is par excellence. <br> <br>This form of Tara, who herself is a Bodhisattva, is honoured as Mother of all Buddhas, past, present and future. <br> <br>The form of Tara shown is the White Tara ( the other one is Green which is ferocious). She is born from the tears flowing from the right eye of Avalokiteshvara. <br>She is shown here as a charming girl of sixteen as described in Tibetan meditational texts. The statue shows her poised and alert, with head tilted slightly and one leg drawn up onto the lotus seat and one inclined over the side in her customary pose of royal ease. <br> <br>With her right hand she graciously extends her palm in boon-granting gesture, holding the stem of a blue lotus. Another flowering lotus is held by her left hand as she makes the three-refuge gesture by extending her three fingers upward. <br> <br>This is an excellent Tibetan sculpture with sharp work that is becoming hard to find in Buddhist Tibetan statues these days. The sculpture is created with a unique technique that enables introduction of many metals in a single piece over a primary metal, which is copper in this case. <br> <br>Tibetan Buddhist idols are coloured beautifully with colours obtained from ancient recipes using organic materials such as stones, vegetables, minerals and metals. The face of Tibetan deities is coloured with a pigment that contains traces of gold. <br> <br>The statue is over 30-year old but yet in pristine condition.
