Five Mandalas of the Vajravali (Primary Title)
thanka (Object Name)
Unknown (Artist)
This large thangka features five mandalas from an important Tibetan Buddhist liturgical tradition known as the Vajravali (Garland of Vajras) that, in its original formulation, described a set of twenty-six mandalas. At the center of each of these mandalas is its principal deity—or paired deities—housed within a square celestial palace compound with elaborate gateways facing the four cardinal directions. Cosmic diagrams of pure lands, these mandalas are circled by multicolored lotus petals and stylized flames, beyond which lies the transitory world: the eight charnel (corpse) fields, eight mahasiddhas (great adepts), guardians of the eight directions, and eight teachers in rainbow nimbuses. A lively set of sixteen mahasiddhas across the top of the painting is marched by a series of dancing goddesses bearing offerings along the bottom. Four of the mandalas are described in the vajravali’s original 12th-century text, but the lower right one comes from a later elaboration associated with the Sakya Order and especially its monastery at Ngor in south-central Tibet. While the thangka is stylistically aligned with the exquisitely detailed painting tradition practiced at this monastery for generations, certain features of its figuration and coloration suggest that it could have been produced further east.
Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Gift of Paul Mellon
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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