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Mandala of Cakrasamvara
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Mandala of Cakrasamvara
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Mandala of Cakrasamvara
INDIA; circa 12th century; Copper alloy; H: 43 cm; Palace Museum, Beijing, China
This mandala takes the form of an eight-petal lotus. Its petals close to form a lotus bud and open to reveal Cakrasamvara and his different forms. It consists of a base, stem, and lotus flower, and is 43 cm high and 14 cm in diameter. The highly decorated three-tier round base supports a main stem flanked by four scrolling branches. Two of the scrolling stems have images of seated Bodhisattvas, while the other two feature circular floral patterns. There are two Bodhisattvas supporting the stems from beneath.
The sun and moon appear on either side of the stem, which supports an eight-petal lotus throne with Cakrasamvara at the center. On the inside of each petal there are reliefs of Dharma-protecting generals and their retinues. The petals are divided into upper and lower registers on the exterior, with a total of 16 illustrations depicting different forms of Cakrasamvara. |
