In the Buddhist tradition, mandalas are objects of meditation whose purpose is to transform our ordinary perception of the world into a pure perception of the Buddha nature. This rare, brilliantly colored, intricately painted early mandala is structured in the classic "palace architecture" composition with a central deity housed in a circle or flower-shaped center placed within a square, multiwalled palace, surrounded in turn by a large multitiered circle. Twenty additional deities are presented within the square with other deities and monks arranged in rows along the top and bottom of the scroll. Painted around 1250 for the Sakya order, this type of mandala is associated with yoga tantr, a form of Esoteric Buddhism. Generally, these mandalas are dedicated to fierce Buddha deities such as Hevajra or Parmasukha-Chakrashamvra, who are often depicted in union with their counterparts. Here the central Hevajra has a white body and is shown embracing his consort Vajranaratmya (Diamond Selflessness).