# Tantric Temple Banner of a Dancing Goddess Flanked by Dakinis

- By: Nepal
- Date: 17th century
- Medium: Pigments and black ink on cloth
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: 124.5 × 231.1 cm (49 × 91 in.)
- Culture: Nepal
- Credit line: James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/109571)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/63eaedfa-b775-0700-b251-ae29dcc2d9c3/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Adult profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This horizontal scroll (bilampo) from Nepal features three dancing Buddhist deities framed within aureoles and interspersed with flowers. The white multi-armed goddess at the center is the largest and most powerful figure and is probably White Tara (the Savioress); she has a third eye and holds a lotus in each of her 18 hands. The goddess is flanked by two bird-headed female attendants, one blue and one green, each wearing a necklace of human skulls and trampling a nude male figure (a symbol of ignorance). These are probably dakinis, tantric sky dancers who play a supportive role helping humans to overcome ignorance. This type of banner was and still is displayed outdoors, often on the walls of a temple, during festivals.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0