2-999-949 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Mandala of Chakrasamvara, c1400. Chakrasamvara, a semi-wrathful Buddha, is represented in dark blue at the centre, united with his female partner, the red Vajravarahi. Four "dakinis" (fierce goddesses) attend the pair, alternating with four ritual vases to occupy the eight petals of a central lotus. Beyond a narrow ring of "vajras" protecting this lotus and its deities are the square walls of Chakrasamvara’s palace, with four T-shaped entrances marked by elaborate gateways. Additional concentric circles surround the palace consisting of multicoloured lotus petals and flames that purify the enclosed space, while another ring of indestructible "vajras" between them adds further protection. The outermost circle contains the eight great cemeteries, each one marked by a dome-shaped stupa, a tree, predatory animals, and dismembered body parts. Each is also occupied by divinities and tantric adepts, for such cemeteries serve as sites for the practice of tantric rituals associated with wrathful and semi-wrathful deities like Chakrasamvara.