The enigmatic smile caught my attention. A ‘smiley’ pre-dating the smiley era.

This is Tara, a Buddhist Goddess. Tara is the Sakti of Avalokiteshvara. Tara is a huge topic by itself, and I am keeping it simple here.

Tara is normally depicted seated. Standing Tara is rarer. Tara, in this case, is identified by her Varada mudra (boon bestowing gesture) and the stem of lotus in her left hand. The way the stem runs along her left hand to the lotus flower near her left shoulder is typical of Tara. Hence the identification. Her earrings, patra kundala, reinforce the identification.

This Vigraha is from Odisha. The material, tiara with multiple peaks, her big breasts, and the flares that are part of the Tiara are the indicators.

This Vigraha is about 8 cm tall and may be dated to the seventeenth century or a bit earlier.

Though Odisha Tara Vigraha from earlier period are documented (Refer Bronzes from Achutrajpur by Debla Mitra), I could not find any other examples of comparable vintage.

Note: This is a good example to study genuine wear patterns. All high points are worn, the top portion is worn more than the lower portion, right side is worn more than the left side and the wear of the back is consistent with that of the front. It also passes the ‘closed eyes smoothness check’.