Mandala of the Buddhist deity Ushnisha-sitatapatra

Himalayan Buddhist mandalas often fuse two perspectives, as well as multiple temporal streams, into a single composition. In this painting, the mandala itself—a nested series of squares and circles comprising the ground plan of a cubic palace—appears at the center of the painting. Its outermost border is the rim of the circle (khorlo) that consists of a fearsome five-colored flame. Just inside, past a series of gruesome cemeteries, lie the petals of a giant lotus. On top of this lotus are four lobed structures, each with a characteristic color, that project into each cardinal direction. These structures are the tips of the crossed vajra (stylized thunderbolt) that is the foundation of the mandala; the cubic palace itself, along with its central inhabitant Ushnisha-sitatapatra, sits on top.

Above the mandala are the teachers with whom its visual, ritual, and philosophical lineage teachings are associated. Below the mandala fierce guardians protect its integrity from obstructions.