Pasho Monastery: Sukhasadhana Tara

CHINA, Tibet, Qamdo

This female deity is identified with “merit and ease” by the Chinese inscription below the lotus base. Tara wears a tall jeweled crown and heavy floral earrings. The bared upper body is draped with a buoyant stole that rises behind the ears then cascades down the arms. She sits on a throne in the royal ease posture. The left hand is lifted and turned inward in vitarka (teaching) mudra, while the right hand is held out in a mudra. The long skirt is neatly tied at the waist and has a floral hem at both thigh and ankle. The image was sculpted during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795) according to the inscription engraved in the center of the upper rim. It was originally kept in the Qing palace and was later sent to Tibet.