A votive seal with a seated figure of Tara, on a lotus-flower support, holding a lotus stem (padma) with her lowered hand whilst gesturing compassion with the other. She wears a finely patterned waist-skirt and a diaphanous shoulder cloth that partially covers her breasts, together with jewellery. In the background is a stupa, emblematic of Avalokitesvara, thereby suggesting an identification as Sitatara (‘White Tara’) or as Syamatra (‘Green Tara’); both are conceived as a female manifestation of Avalokitesvara-Padmapani. In the remaining spaces of the background are moulded verses of Buddhist creed (dharani), intended to generate mystic power.

Votive tablets of this type were produced in great quantities as a meritorious act by devotees or monks. The 'pie-crust' border is a more unusual feature. They are typically found at pilgrim centres and other holy Buddhist sites, especially where monks congregate, such as caves used in the rainy season retreat. The small metal moulds used to make these votives are eminently portable, and are known to have travelled widely in Buddhist Asia, aiding the diffusion of knowledge, especially of the cults of the Bodhisattva and Tara.