Prayer Flags also called Lung-ta (Tibetan name) are of square or rectangular shape and are connected along their top edges to a long string or thread. They are commonly hung on a diagonal line from high to low between two objects (e.g., a rock and the top of a pole) in high places such as the tops of temples, monasteries, stupa, or mountain passes.
Traditionally, prayer flags me in a set of five colors that correspond with the Five Elements. The five colors are arranged from left to right in a specific order: blue, white, red, green, and yellow. According to Traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements. Usually, the prayer flags are surrounded by approximately 400 different versions of traditional mantras each dedicated to a particular deity and symbols.
- Blue symbolizes the sky and space
- White symbolizes the air and wind
- Red symbolizes fire
- Green symbolizes water
- Yellow symbolizes earth.
This prayer flag has the image of Tara. The Goddess Tara is worshipped in both Hinduism and Buddhism as the goddess of compassion and protection. In Hinduism, she is a form of the female primordial energy known as shakti. The name comes from the Sanskrit root tar, meaning “protection.” In other Indian languages, the name translates as “star.”
