Vajra Tara

Gahadavata, 12th century
Sarnath
Delhi National Museum, India.

Tara is a Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist goddess. Her name means "star", and she is associated with the North Star. In Buddhism she is the consort of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. She is also said to be his offspring or emanation, sprung from the tears that he shed out of sympathy for the sufferings of mankind. Tara plays an important role in Tantric worship, where she takes on a multitude of benign and fierce forms.