Hevajra Kapāladhara Maṇḍala

In Indo-Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, complex rituals and forms of meditation are utilized to alleviate the suffering of an unenlightened existence by leading practitioners to the realization that all perceived phenomena are inherently empty (śūnyatā). One such practice involves maṇḍala (Tibetan: dkyil-‘khor), a term that most often refers to a cosmogram, or geometric representation of a spiritual universe. Often the maṇḍala centers on a specific deity in the form of which tantric adepts visualize themselves, embodying the deity’s perspective on the reality to which the maṇḍala points. In this case, that deity is Hevajra Kapāladhara, or the Skullcup-holding Hevajra.

The flat, geometric forms of this maṇḍala are understood by the practitioner to represent a three-dimensional, architectural space, the palace of Hevajra. The square walls of the palace open to the cardinal directions with elaborate T-shaped gates, a structure repeated in each of the five chapels within the palace walls. A different aspect of Hevajra stands at the center of each chapel, locked in an embrace with his consort Nairātmyā.