The Wish-fulfilling Red Tara (Drolma Moelam Gangtab of Nepal) a very beautiful, but a sad Tara, that is found inside Tara Devi temple – to the north of Dattatraya Square in Bhaktapur.

This Red Tara is believed to be chained here by the locals after she returned from a trip to Tibet. The story goes that they didn’t want her to leave again, or leave and never return, and thus is believed to wear that gloomy face.

While the Tibetans and the Bhutanese consider it as the Red Tara, the statue is identified as Dipankara by the Indians and Nepalis.

According to yet another source, she is believed to be Dakini Yeshey Tshogyel who spent some few years of her life, even marrying one local man. She is best remembered for bringing back to life a dead child from the banks of the river where cremation was about to be conducted. There are songs and praises in her honour that goes:

Following the Guru’s instructions, you travel to Nepal,
bring a corpse back to life, are rewarded with gold,
and ransom your consort of skilful means, Acharya Sale.
In such ways you are a guide for beings, so difficult to tame.
To you, we pray!

— Jamgön Kongtrul Lodro Thayé

Regardless, it is considered as one of the most sacred statue by the locals, who guard it very jealously.

GETTING THERE

The temple is located in Bhaktapur and is marked as Tara Devi Temple. It is at a walkable distance from Durbar square. CLICK HERE