WHITE TARA/ SITATARA (NEWARI)

A gorgeously rendered Newari thangka painting of White Tara (Sitatara) with detail, shading and gold work all very finely done. Stone colours give the thangka a particular vibrancy. Legend describes how the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara spilled two tears to earth out of despair for humanity and that each formed a lake on which grew a lotus; the left one opened to reveal a Green Tara, from the right emerged the White Tara. Tara means ‘star’ or ‘saviour’. Historically, the White Tara was first identified with the seventh century T’ang Chinese Princess Wen-che’ng, who married the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo and helped bring Buddhism to Tibet. Taras are seen as female bodhisattvas, and their images first started appearing in Mahayana Buddhism in the sixth century. The White Tara symbolises purity, long life, and, as an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, compassion as well. She is an incredibly popular deity in both Nepal and Tibet, bringing protection and longevity. As always in thangka, the posture helps in the explanation of the role of this deity: Her right hand gesture (varamudra) offers help in the form of both material and spiritual blessings, while her extra eyes on the forehead, palms and soles symbolise the ever-alert nature of her compassion, in the same way as the thousand hands of Avalokiteshvara. Her left hand holds a lotus symbolising compassion and the three raised fingers symbolise the triple gem of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha (Buddha, the Buddhist Teachings and the Buddhist Community).

WHITE TARA/ SITATARA (NEWARI)
Artist Name:	Lal Bahadur Lama
Painting size:	51cm X 43cm

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