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The basic form of a mandala (Tib: dkyil 'khor) is comprised of a center (dkyil) and a
circumference ('khor). There are two basic designs: (1) a deity in the center and
a deity in each of the four directions, making five, or (2) a deity in the center, a
deity in each of the four main directions, and a deity in the intermediate
directions, such as northwest or southeast, making nine deities. Upon one of
these themes more elaborate concatenations may be built. Many of the complex
mandalas in this collection include hundreds of deities. By identifying the
central deity, the other deities in the Mandala will be quickly identified.
Mandalas are present to the viewer of the Thangka in one of two ways. (1) The
"aerial shot," where the details of the Mandala can be observed as if from
above, and one can thence remember exactly which deity stands at which point of
the visualization. (2) The "side-view shot," where one gets a close up
of the main deity and his/her/their retinue. Many mandalas are portrayed in
both styles, to aid practitioners in knowing both the details of the deity's
appearance and retinue, and the way this can be seen when one puts oneself, in
meditation, into the position of the deity at the center of the Mandala.
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