Mandala (Sanskrit for “circle”), in Hinduism and Buddhism, a diagram used as a focus and guide for meditation. Each mandala represents the universe pictorially.

 Buddhist Mandala  This Buddhist mandala is made entirely of colored sand, spread by carefully tapping a funnel to position the grains.

 Hinduism  Hinduism  main Indian religion: a major religion and religious tradition of South Asia, the oldest worldwide religion, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a large pantheon of gods and goddesses.  Buddhism  Buddhism  Eastern religion: a world religion or philosophy based on the teaching of the Buddha and holding that a state of enlightenment can be attained by suppressing worldly desires.

The basic structure of the mandala has also been used by other religions and cultures; such as, Native Americans, Celtics, Mayans and Christians.

 Rose Window, Notre Dame  The north rose window of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, was built by Jean de Chelles from 1240 to It is 129 m (43 ft) in diameter, and consists of brilliantly colored pieces of glass with lead around each piece, held in an iron framework. The details in the religious scenes are painted on the glass.

 Celtic Cross  In the 5th century Saint Patrick converted the Celts, the Iron Age invaders of Ireland, to Christianity, but many of the converts retained much of their Druidic religion. This Celtic cross near the Shannon River in Ireland, with its elaborate stylized relief of earth gods and woodland spirits, illustrates how the Celtic people preserved many of their Druidic beliefs.