Mandala of Dakini-Ten＜Ḍākiṇī＞

In India, Dakini was a demonic god who ate the dead. In Heian period Japan, however, a mysterious practice using the Dakini mandala began with a belief that Dakini had the power to control humans both to bring good luck and to cast curses upon them. The three-headed, twelve-armed goddess in the center is Dakini. According to the inscription on the back of the scroll, which says, “mandala of three gods united,” this particular Dakini is depicted as the combination of three gods, Dakini, Sarasvati, and Nandikesvara. Furthermore, other images in the mandala suggest a connection with the Inari god of harvest and the worship of a sacred mountain. The ink inscription indicates that the mandala belonged to Myotoku-in temple on Mount Hi’ei. The mandala is thought to be have been painted in the early Muromachi period.