Mandala is an ancient art form. In Sanskrit meaning of mandala is “circle”. A mandala is a symmetry or pattern that represents the cosmos and deities in various heavenly worlds. It’s all about finding peace in its various symmetrical designs. Drawing one shape at a time and then slowly building it into a beautiful and meaningful art awakens one’s soul and mind. It is a symbol of spiritual divinity, meditation, and prayer in East Asia, Japan, China, and Tibet artworks. Every other culture has its meaning of mandala art in their own way. It is believed in Hinduism and Buddhism that as one moves towards the circle of the mandala will eventually enter into the cosmic process and transform their negative energy into positivity, joy, and cheerfulness. And here is not the end of different meanings of mandala art, it is also believed that its center point and symmetries, hold the structure of life itself. It shows a connection between the cosmos and our minds and bodies. The outer layer of the mandala also holds a special meaning which represents the divine universe. As a whole, it represents a balance between our mind and body. They first appeared in the first century BCE, which is evidence of their antiquity and authenticity.
Buddhist monks took mandala art to other regions and taught them the way to make them. And then it spread in Tibet, China, and Japan by the 4th century. Buddhists used mandala art for focus during their meditation. Every aspect of the mandala helps in healing the mind. Some mandalas even have pictures of deities in their center that depict philosophical views of the faith. If I speak about different styles of mandala art then the Hindu mandala is square-shaped. Yantra mandala is 2D and 3D shaped it is mainly used in pujas and tantric practices. Teaching mandalas are an aspect of philosophy or religion and is utilized in mental mapping.
Healing mandalas are used for meditation purposes, channeling the stage of calmness and disposing of anxiety. The sand mandala is originally seen in Buddhist culture, these are made by different colorful sand which expresses the impermanent nature of lifetime of an individual. Body mandalas are drawn on the bodies of tantric practitioners. Element mandalas are utilized in Indian ayurvedic medicines and represent five elements – fire, water, earth, air, and space. Just like the lotus flower comes out of the mud and rises ahead of the sun, the human soul and mind also rise and meet the universe from their materialistic world hence the lotus mandala represents the enlightenment of mind and soul. Deity mandala is the common form and used to channel focus and meditation. This stunning art form clearly makes us realize that how important our mental health is not only in today’s world but in older times too.
Here is my story of how I came to know about mandala art more and more. The incident isn’t that much old, there was once an art competition in my school during which the theme of the competition was the beauty of life. At that point, I already knew I am going to take part in it, but little did I know what am I exactly going to make. Now here is the thing, I have to make something that meets up the expectations of the theme. Therefore, I began to search more about the ideas I can get suddenly an image showed in one of my searches surely it was in suggestions and the name was written under the image was mandala art. It looks unique to me and there I decided to make it for my competition. I then drew a musical keynote in mandala art form and wrote a little message about how music and art connect with each other and represent the beauty of life.
Music heals one’s heart and feelings and mandala art is not only a skill but also a tool to focus and enlighten minds. After submitting my work, I examined mandalas more deeply, and then I came to know what miracles they can even do. a psychological state is so important for everybody and healing from different mental health issues by making art and performing art, what else can be good then. Now the result day came, I did not come first but I got the third prize. And here I realized I did meet up to the expectations of the theme - beauty of life. It's a little shocking to know how art can heal a person from any mental health issue in a subtle way but here it is.