Kurukulle, or Red Tara, is one of the three female emanations of the Buddha Amitabha. Her red color indicates her magnetizing qualities. She wears a crown of five skulls, signifying the five perfections, and she herself embodies the sixth perfection of wisdom. She vanquishes the fifty negative emotions and manifests compassionate activity in both samsara and nirvana while subjugating the demon of ego and desire. She embodies non-dual wisdom and is unconditioned by discursive thoughts. Usually Kurukulle has four arms; however, in this thangka she has two, according to the Dudjom Tersar tradition.
