Ever been to a flea market these days and returned home fascinated by this circular pattern art you may have probably seen around you? You may have even seen it inked on people’s bodies or maybe as a piece of art beautifully adorning a wall in someone’s home! Well, the art of fancy is called a “mandala”.

We met a mandala artist.

The Global Bhatia team caught up with Bhakti Negandhi, an artist who works with various art forms but her favourite being the mandala. She started with drawing tiny details around the center point and this would make her really calm. So she immersed herself into the mandala art. Gradually she also discovered her love for dot mandala paintings which are mandalas made with only different sized dots using acrylics. It was quite fascinating for us to see how only dots and colors make up a very vibrant and unique artwork.

TGB : So Tell us more about this art form

Bhakti : Mandala art has a long and fascinating history, from its origins in India to its modern use in adult coloring books. The mandala may be one of the most striking symbols in religions from all over the world. It is a hallmark in Buddhism and Hinduism and also found in Christianity and Judaism. Islamic art is often full of dense geometric patterns and has many examples of mandalas.

The symbolism of the mandala’s central point and its outward radiating patterns have come to represent man’s connection with the spiritual. Hindu religious buildings were traditionally created using a mandala as template, and the vast rose windows of Gothic Cathedrals are some of the ultimate examples in Western cultures.

A mandala is an abstract design that is usually circular in form. Infact, “mandala” in Sanskrit means “circle”. Mandalas generally have one identifiable center point, from which flows an array of symbols, shapes and forms.

TGB : How can it add value to people’s lives?

Bhakti : Have you ever gazed into a mandala closely? For many people, simply looking at the circular symphony of shapes and patterns evokes a feeling of calmness. The famous psychiatrist Carl G. Jung would ask his patients to draw mandalas as a form of therapy. Jung noticed that his patients became more focused and relaxed after drawing mandalas.

Modern art therapy often uses mandalas both as diagnostic aids and as therapeutic interventions for conditions like anxiety and schizophrenia. In a similar way to their aid in meditation, mandalas in a psychological sense are usually said to “center” a person; it is no wonder why their central point is so essential to their meaning!

Mandalas can contain both geometric and organic forms. They can also contain images or patterns that carry meaning for the person who is creating it.

TGB : How should one approach this art form?

Bhakti says, “when starting a mandala, rules are just not that important. As we begin to draw, we should to go with the flow and all the little bits and pieces that make up our chaotic minds emerge.  By arranging these bits into a structured mandala, we can bring order to our thoughts and peace into our hearts”.

The best part about the mandala art is that anybody can pursue it. It is a process which may make you lose and immerse yourself completely in it, just to realize that you discovered yourself while being at it!

Here’s an exclusive glimpse of some great mandala art by Bhakti.

(Images)