yantra (Painting)

Yantras are geometric paintings, forms of symbolic art with high spiritual content. Essentially, these Hindu tantric paintings are tools for contemplation and visualization practices, serving as substitutes for anthropomorphic images of Hindu deities. The tantrika or sadhaka, the practitioner, performs sadhana, or worship, that consists of repeated rituals and meditations using tantric texts, ritual chants (mantras) and yantra paintings. Essential to these images is the notion that by meditation on anything as the self, one becomes that, this yantra is not secular artwork but a path toward truth and self-realization both for the maker and spectator.

This yantra is from the Kali mandir, or temple, in Harinagar, Bihar.

A yantra for Sri Bhairavi.

Hindu Tantric painting, or yantra. Small, square shaped painting consisting of a blue circle with dhu symbols in white in centre. Surrounded by eight green petals edged with red dots on dark purple square with four symmetrical t-shapes emerging from each side of square. Four unpainted l-shaped forms in corners. Hindi script written on the back.