Green Tara

CHINA, Tibet

In this 11th century thangka, Green Tara is in the center, wearing a three-leaf crown and ornaments. Her right hand is placed on her knee, and a lotus stem is held in the left hand. Tara sits on a lotus throne that is supported by a pedestal and two naga kings who stand on curled vines. Tara’s nimbus is decorated with small colored bands, while the aureole is embellished with patterned horizontal lines. The attendant on the right is Marici, who wears an elegant crown and ornaments, and holds a vajra. The attendant on the left is Mahapratisara, who holds a pearl. Behind Tara on the right, between her leg and her arm, the black-skinned Bhrkuti can be seen. Above Tara’s mandorla, there are two small seated figures. On the left is Atisa, who appears as an Indian monk, and on the right is Dromton Gyalwe Jungney, Atisa’s chief disciple and the founder of Reting Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet. The Five Dhyani Buddhas are seated in a row at the top of the painting. There are images of Bodhisattvas along the sides of the image, and at the bottom there is a row of five six-armed Taras and a seated monk with offerings.