Votive Plaque Showing Tara

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Devotees often acquired such molded plaques (tsa tsa) at pilgrimage sites. They became important vehicles for the transmission of new styles, iconographies, and ideologies. Tara was widely popular because of her role as a compassionate goddess, offering protection and clearing the path to liberation.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art