Mandala Main Page

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Types of Mandalas Glossary List
- Deity Subjects
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Video: Ritual Mandala Plate

Created from a scroll work painting glued to a square wooden board approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick, the Ritual Mandala Plates are intended to lay flat on a shrine with various offering objects surrounding on the four sides. Generally intended for temporary use and annual or monthly rituals, the physical mandala plate serves the same function as a sand mandala which is deconstructed, dismantled and the sand disposed of in clean water after use. Textile mandalas are popular and found in Mongolia also serving the same ritual purpose.

The two most common mandala plates are Vajrayogini and Maha Vairochana. Others such as Amitayus and Akshobhya can also be identified but less often. The plates are typically square in shape, although occasionally a round mandala plate can be found. The iconography on the mandala surface can depict either figures, letters or symbols to represent the deities.

Jeff Watt [updated 11-2018, 3-2025]

Vairochana Buddha
Sarvavid (Sarvadurgati Tantra)

Vajrayogini (Buddhist Deity)
(Naropa Tradition)

Vajrayogini (Buddhist Deity)
(Naropa Tradition)

Amitayus Buddha
Sambhogakaya

Vajrayogini (Buddhist Deity)
(Naropa Tradition)

Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva & Buddhist Deity)
(Unidentified)

Vajrayogini (Buddhist Deity)
(Naropa Tradition)

Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva & Buddhist Deity)
(11 Faces)

Hevajra (Buddhist Deity)
Margapala Instruction Lineage

Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva & Buddhist Deity)
Chaturbhuja (4 hands)

Vajrakila (Eight Pronouncements)

Vajrayogini (Buddhist Deity)
(Naropa Tradition)