Four Mandalas of the Vajravali Cycle

This exquisite thangka is the thirteenth painting in a set depicting the mandalas of the Vajravali cycle, a compendium of esoteric teachings compiled by the eleventh-century Indian master Abhayakaragupta and widely transmitted in Tibet. It features, from left to right and top to bottom, the Vajradhatu mandala with an eight-armed form of Vairochana in the center; the Durgatiparishodhana mandala with the central Shakyasimha, another aspect of Vairochana; the mandala of the wrathful Bhutadamara; and the mandala of the goddess Marichi. The subsidiary deities form two assemblies that complement the top two mandalas, but are not described in the Vajravali teachings.