Goddess Tara who protects eight dangers

This wooden shrine relief fragment depicted Goddess Tara who protects eight dangers comes from today's Himachal Pradesh.

Sanskrit 'Ashtamahabhaya' refers to the eight great fears from which she offers sanctuary: lions, snakes, thieves, enslavement, yakshas, shipwreck, fire, and rampaging elephants. These are carved at left and right sides of Goddess Tara. Thus, this form is known as Ashtamahabhaya Tara.

The Ashtamahabhaya iconography first appears in conjunction with Avalokitesvara imagery in rock-cut sanctuaries in western India. The architectural style of the shrine setting is similar to extant temples in Himachal Pradesh, allowing this image to be dated to the tenth or eleventh century AD.

This precious antique is now part of the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art.