Tara

Tara (târ`ə), village, Co. Meath, E Republic of Ireland. The Hill of Tara (507 ft/155 m high) was the seat of the high kings of Ireland from ancient times until the 6th cent. and may have been the site of religious ceremonies in prehistoric times. A statue of St. Patrick, who preached there, is supposed to mark the location of the Lia Fail, the Coronation Stone of the ancient high kings (see under coronation). There are six raths (earthwork enclosures), the largest of which is 850 ft (259 m) in diameter. The hill was the scene of the defeat of the Danes in 980 and, some believe, the Irish insurgents in 1798, and of a mass meeting in 1843 addressed by Daniel O'Connell; hence its importance as a symbol of Irish nationalism.

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Tara

White Tara, gilt copper repoussé statue from Nepal, 18th century; in the Asian Art Museum of …

(credit: Courtesy of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, The Avery Brundage Collection; photograph, Martin Grayson)

In Buddhism, a saviour-goddess with numerous forms. Her worship is widely popular in Nepal, Tibet, and Mongolia. She is the feminine counterpart of Avalokitesvara. She came into existence when his tear fell to the ground and formed a lake; out of its waters rose a lotus, which, on opening, revealed the goddess. She is the protector of navigation and earthly travel, as well as of spiritual travel along the path to enlightenment. In art she typically holds a lotus and has a third eye. She is represented in various colours, signifying different aspects of her powers.

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Tara

plantation home of Scarlett O’Hara. [Am. Lit.: Margaret Mitchell Gone With The Wind]

See : Houses, Fateful