Wandered by Gandan Monastery and visited the Kalachakra Temple, where monks are creating a Kalachakra Mandala in preparation for the Kalachakra Ceremony beginning on May 7 and continuing through May 29. The mandala itself, made from sand of various colors, takes six days or so to create. It is based on the three dimensional Kalachakra Mandala found in Kalapa, the capital of the Kingdom of Shambhala, which is itself based on the Dhanyakataka Stupa, where according to tradition the Buddha taught the Kalachakra Tantra to Suchandra, the first of the 32 Kings of Shambhala. There is much else of interest in the temple, increasing representations of the 722 Kalachakara Deities.
Monks fashioning the Kalachakra Mandala
Monk working on the Kalachakra Mandala
Monk working on the Kalachakra Mandala
Colored sand used to fashion the Mandala
Monk working on the Kalachakra Mandala
Monk working on the Kalachakra Mandala
Detail of the Kalachakra Mandala
A painted version of a finished Kalachakra Mandala
