Mandalas are ancient Hindu and Buddhist art forms
that are said to be graphical symbols of the universe that serve as an
aid to the meditational techniques of attaining 'enlightenment'. Thus
they are also known as 'Architecture of Enlightenment'. The word
'Mandala' has its origin in Sanskrit, where 'Mand' means decorate or
mark off and 'la' means circle, sacred centre or essence. Often
symbolized as a palace with four gates that face the four directions (or
what was once supposed to be the four corners of the Earth), the
concept Mandalas have been said to be originated in thousands of years
old Indian temple architecture, where sacred spaces were marked to link
the devotee to the cosmos via visualization of universe and meditating
on the deity of the temple. A number of circles and squares were used to
represent time and space in these temples.
Mandalas are often used in 'tantrik' initiations and are often prepared
on a sacred platform by colored sand grains and are akin to Vedic
altars. Constructing Mandalas are an essential part of training of all
the monks at Buddhist monasteries, including those in Ladakh. There are
texts serve as mnemonic guides to the complete forms of these Mandalas
and have to be learnt by heart by the monks, though, it is only the
practical training under experienced monks that can actually help in
mastering these art forms. These schools believe that ever since Buddha
has left his enlightened physical form and has become 'tathagata' (thus
gone), Mandalas represent his 'body of enlightenment', thus adding
volumes of religious significance to these art forms.
