MANDALA

Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle."  In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes the form of a mandala.

The basic form of most Buddhist and Hindu mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point (bindu). Each gate is in the shape of a T. 

Mandalas have spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism.  They are images of the universe that are used for focusing cosmic and psychic energies.

The term "mandala" is of Hindu origin and appears in the Rig Veda, but it is also found in other Indian religions, particularly in Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, for example, mandalas have been developed into sand painting.  They are also a key part of Anuttarayoga Tantra meditation practices.

A mandala may be as small as a drawing, or as large as a temple enclosure.  The world itself is considered a type of mandala. 

Similar to a mandala is a yantra.  The yantra, however, embodies but a single devata (god, guardian spirit), while a mandala may enclose an infinite number of them.