The Buddhist deity Green Tara

Tara, a bodhisattva of compassion, is depicted in a variety of forms. Here, Tara carries a flower known as a "blue lotus." The identity of the two small figures flanking her is not certain. The one at left holds a dagger or chopper and what may be a bowl made from the top of a skull, and is surrounded by an elephant skin, of which only the trunk and an eyehole can be seen. This figure may be the angry protective deity Ekajata.