Item: Mandala of Vajrayogini (Buddhist Deity) - (Naropa Tradition)

Vajrayogini of the mahasiddha Naropa Tradition of Sakya.

At the top left is mahasiddha Naropa. At the top right side is the Buddha Vira Vajradharma. At the bottom left side is Shri Shmashana Adhipati, the two dancing skeletons. At the bottom right side is a kneeling figure representative of the donor of the painting.

Surrounding the central figure in the middle of a double tetrahedron, red in colour and against a green background, is the circle of the Eight Great Cemeteries. According to Tantric literature and the descriptions of wrathful deities and their environments, the eight charnel grounds surround the central palace and deity. There are several different sets of eight names and descriptions for the eight great charnel grounds depending on the Buddhist and Hindu Tantric literature consulted. These charnel grounds also have physical locations in India such as the Laughing charnel ground at Bodhgaya and the Cool Grove charnel ground close by, along with the Frightening charnel ground in the Black Hills of Bihar.

In the Chakrasamvara cycle of Tantra the Eight Great Charnal grounds are: east Gruesome, north Dense Wild Thicket, west Blazing with [the Sound] Ur Ur, south Terrifying, south-east Marvellous Forest, south-west Interminably Gloomy, north-west Resounding with the Sound Kili Kili, north-east Wildly Laughing. These names are extracted from a Chakrasamvara ritual text composed by Chogyal Pagpa).

Jeff Watt 2-1018