Hailing from the cultural realm of India the mandala signifies in its original sense a sacred
circle. It serves as a meditation aid and at the same time reflects an ancient symbolism of
strictly geometric basic forms accompanied by an interpretation of its sacred content. As an
expression of the awareness of higher affinities the symmetrically arranged geometry can be
found in a variety of pictorial works and the architecture of various epochs and cultural
realms for example in medieval book illumination the floor plan of the Blue Mosque in
Istanbul in Kazimir Malevich's Black Square or in various objects of the indigenous peoples
of Africa Asia Australia and the Americas. Based on these and other masterpieces from
renowned museums and private collections and illustrated in fascinating photographs of unique
buildings and rituals this publication offers an impressive first analysis of the phenomenon
of sacred geometry in art and architecture and their underlying ideologies.
