An Indian Folk Drawing: Double-Sided Yantra

ca. early Twentieth century
5 1/2" x 7 /14", 14 cm x 18.5 cm

This folk drawing shows a wonderfully and crudely rendered yantra, or holy diagram, sometimes used in worship by Hindu priests and in the home. The drawing shows a form of four sides, each with an aperture that beckons one of the four directions. The interior of the drawing shows a central image ringed with lotus petals, the geomtric depiction at center represents a god or goddess, the triangles pointing up showing ascending energy, the triangles pointing down show descending energy.

The naive rendering of this image gives the drawing vitality, and the reverse is a beautiful field of Sanskrit, into which two small yantras are embedded.

A sacred drawing of delicacy and power.