THE 15th FUKUOKA ASIAN CULTURE PRIZES 2004 PUBLIC FORUM

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2 THE 15th FUKUOKA ASIAN CULTURE PRIZES 2004 PUBLIC FORUM Nepal World of Maithili Folk Art Women Carry and Revive Folk Culture for the Future Ram Dayal RAKESH, Academic Prize Laureate Date: 13:00-15:30 Sunday, September 19, 2004 Place: ACROS Fukuoka Event Hall (Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City) Program: Outline of the Forum and Introduction of the Speakers: Professor Ohji Toshiaki (School of Human Culture, University of Shiga Prefecture) Panel Discussion - Part I The World Folk Art Depicts Panelists: Dr. Ram Dayal Rakesh (Academic Prize Laureate) Ms. Hasunuma Miyoko (Curator, Mithila Museum, Niigata) Coordinator: Professor Ohji Toshiaki Panel Discussion - Part II The World Folk Art Depicts Panelists: Dr. Ram Dayal Rakesh Ms. Mori Jun (Director, Association of Dental Cooperation in Nepal) Coordinator: Professor Ohji Toshiaki Summary: * The text on this and following pages introduces the keynote speeches given in part I and II of the program by Dr. Ram Dayal Rakesh.

3 Part I: The World Folk Art Depicts Dr. Ram Dayal Rakesh You might know that some parts of Mithila fall in the territory of Nepal and some parts of Mithila in the Indian territory. Today I m going to throw some light on Mithila paintings in the Nepal s territory. I am going to start with elements about Aripan art, folk paintings of Mithila mainly painted on the floor of the house. This art is very ritualistic, very religious; it has got a spiritual background. Really it is not a painting; it is a means of meditation. It is a product of yogic exercise. You know Maithili people are very religious-minded, especially Maithili women are very, very religious-minded. In each and every month they celebrate one or another folk festival and they draw paintings on the floor, on the courtyard, on the threshold of their houses, and on the entrance gate of their houses. They are so much religious-minded that they can t observe any festival, any village festival without drawing, without depicting this Aripan folk art. So in various Aripan designs painted in various colors, Shiva-Parvati 1, Vishnu-Lakshmi 2 and various other gods and goddesses are produced with great originality and imagination. Aripan is an example of the prevalence of the Shakti 3 cult in Mithila. Maithili woman specialize in it. The Aripan painting is very auspicious and famous in the whole Mithila region. It has been derived from the Shakti Aripan which means to smear, and therefore basically refers to smearing the ground with cow-dung and clay for ritual purification of space. It is like Mandala. This Aripan art is drawn on the several auspicious occasions such as puberty, conception, chhatiyar of newly born child 4 (sixth day rites after birth), Mundan 5 (head shaving of a child), Upanayana 6 (sacred thread ceremony), initiation into learning and marriage ceremony. 1 It has different names according to different regions such as Alpna in Bengal, Mehdi in Rajasthan, Rangoli in Maharastra, Chaukapurna in the Bhojpuri area, Mandala in Tibetan art, and Aripan or Ahipan in the Mithila region. This tradition of Aripan is found in Grihyasutra 7. So it has a very religious background. Also in Brahma-Puran 8, the word Bhumi-shobha (beauty of land) has been used for Aripan. In Naisadha Charitra 9 this word had been used. So it is crystal clear that this art has a long and lovely tradition. Its original form is semi-geometrical with floral diagrams. Each diagram has a well-defined center on which a sacred pot and a plate are kept for ritual purposes. Aripan is drawn and depicted for purification and beautification of a piece of ground. So it is painted on the main entrance gate of a house, thresholds, and courtyards. It is also decorated in the main residential room. The young and old women can exhibit their talents and skills while drawing it. Its diagram and designs have a Tantrik 10 background which is a matter of research. Thus, the Aripan art is not merely floor paintings but is more decorative

4 and religious. There are many kinds of Aripan art which are depicted and drawn for various purposes. One kind of Aripan is drawn on the auspicious occasion of Tusari Pooja 11. Young unmarried Maithili girls draw it to get good husbands. Its duration is from Makar Sankranti to Falgun Sankranti that is from December to February. In this Aripan they draw a temple, moon, sun, Navagrah (nine planets). There is Sanjha Aripan which is depicted for worship of Sandhya Devi (goddess of evening). The whole cosmos is drawn and shown in the form of a temple. Panch Dev (five gods) and Sapta Rishis (seven sages) are also depicted in the shape of lotus Aripan. Sasthi Pooja Aripan 12 is painted when young girls start menstruation. This Aripan symbolizes the creation and, at the same time, the destruction of the universe. The Gatra-Sankrants Pooja Aripan 13 is the symbol of birth and death. It depicts different phases of life. The Kojagara Aripan is drawn on the leaf of Makhan on the full moon festival which falls on the full moon day of Aswin (September) to please Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth). Chatu Shankh Aripan is drawn on the occasion of Devothan Ekadashi that is the eleventh day of the lunar month. The figure of sankha (conch shell) is drawn in four corners. Deepawali or Diwali Aripan is known in the Mithila region as Sukharatri Aripan, which is depicted to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Swastik Aripan is painted for blessing the younger generation. Madhu Shrawani Pooja Aripan 14 is drawn on the auspicious occasion of Madhu Shrawani, which is celebrated after the marriage ceremony of bride and groom. Dashpat Aripan of men is drawn by women on the floor. Dwad Sha Aripan is drawn on the ground after death of a family member. Gawaha Sankranti Aripan is drawn on the door of Kuldevata (clan deity) in the month of Kartik. 15 Kalyan Devi Pooja Aripan is drawn to celebrate the Kalyan Karika Devi worship (welfare of goddess). It is drawn by the women of Mithila. Durvaachyat Aripan 16 is also drawn by women on the occasion of cultural activities. Different designs of lotus flowers are drawn in it. The lotus flower on the top represents trinity, below that the lotus having five petals refers to Panch Dev (five gods). The third lotus having seven petals represents Saptarishis. Mauhak Aripan is drawn and designed after the marriage ceremony, Sashti Pooja Aripan is depicted to honour the goddess Sasthi Devi. 17 Its main purpose is to generate motherly power in young girls. Shastha Dal Aripan is made to please the mother goddess Bhagwati. 18 Thus this Aripan art is very cosmic in nature and playful in expression. It is also very bright and beautiful art to look at. 2

5 The material which is applied in the Aripan art is mixture of powdered rice with some water. This paste is called Pithar in the local language. The woman folk dipping two fingers into the pithar, make graceful geometrical diagrams with different designs on the mud floor of their living houses and courtyards and thresholds. They also smear red powder on it to make it beautiful. It also points out the prominence of a mother-goddess. Three inner triangles symbolize Gauri (another name of Parvati) who is the favorite goddess of the Maithili maidens. Aripan also shows Shakti cult (refer to 3 aforementioned), which has a strong hold in Mithila. In the book titled Expression in Mithila: Tradition and Painting Jyotindra Jain wrote: Aripan are mostly in the nature of semi-geometric floral diagrams. Each diagram has a well-defined center on which an installation of a sacred pot plate, a basket or a seat is made for ritual purposes. The intricately patterned diagrams are dotted with vermilion at specific points. Most of these are in the form of a lotus flower or plant. Lotus is the common motif in the Mithila art. It signifies the universal life-force and the opening of the consciousness of the divine. It is the Hriday Kamalam, the centralized lotus motif or the sahasradala padmam, the thousand petalled lotus which is depicted in Aripan. The lotus is associated with Lakshmi, Visnu and Brahma but it is mainly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. So, the Maithili women draw her feet pointing towards the inside of the house to signify the entrance of the goddess of plenty and prosperity. People worship Lakshmi, the goddess of riches who has been gracing their homes every year and persuade her to enter once again to provide boons and blessings. While it s not Aripan art, I d like to talk a little about the way in which Maithili women use colors in painting people or scenes of battles between gods. God Shiva is painted in a red color. Goddess Kali is painted in a black color because Kali means black and Mithila are impressed by the Shakti cult of religion. Shakti cult means that they worship the Shakti; it means Goddess Parvati who is consort to Shiva, Goddess Durga, Goddess Kali, she has many names and she s very powerful, she s omnipotent, omnipresent, she s all-powerful and Maithili people are impressed by this Shakti cult. So Kali is painted in black because she s the source of energy, she s the source of power. She s the source of inspiration so Goddess Kali is painted in black. Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna are painted in green because they love green colors so they are also their favorite gods. So they paint Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna in green and Durga in black and Shiva in red. They have different religious sentiments and feelings and they want to reflect their inner feelings, their inner sentiments because art is an expression of life, art is an imitation of life as Aristotles has said. So this color combination also counts in the Mithila painting and so they use different colors to express, to explain their feelings into their arts and into their paintings. 3

6 Compared to the gods, regular people don t have such an important significance or importance so they can paint according to their own imagination, mind set, and artists own feelings. It s not fixed, not determined already. They are free to use different colors for regular people for general paintings. But so far as the religious or ritualistic painting is concerned they use fixed colors, which are prescribed for that particular painting. To conclude, Mithila art has folk motives in its roots which are deeply associated in the Mithila culture. This culture is becoming known all over the world due to its invaluable artistic beauty and legacy. Mithila folk art is gaining popularity in the whole world, day by day. It has sprouted spontaneously and has a long tradition. It has been handed down from generation to generation by women. This saying is befitting here, Folk art, being a spontaneous expression of the people, retains the past experience of the community, and yet also has a vital existence in the present. No wonder, therefore, that is has influenced many a movement in art. Its main strength lies in the ability of the creator to visualize and present object as he sees it and knows it, as well as conveying the experience of the generations before him. So Janakpur is also the center for the revival of the ancient Mithila arts and crafts. Thank you very much. 1 Parvati: meaning Daughter of the Mountain, consort to Shiva. 2 Lakshmi: goddess of fortune and beauty, consort to Vishnu. In Buddhism, known as Kichijo-tennyo in Japanese. 3 Shakti: originally meaning divine power, energy, a deity in female form, consort to Shiva, frequently referring to Durga or Parvati. Later, Shakti became interpreted as sexual energy. 4 chhatiyar: a ritual performed on the 6th night following the birth of a child; a ritual to the god of good fortune for the child s future. 5 Mundan: a head-shaving ceremony held when a child is 3 or 5 years old, known as Chuudacalman in Sanskrit. 6 Upanayana: an initiation ceremony for boys of the upper 3 castes (reincarnated castes) signifying the start of studies of the Veda with a teacher. 7 Grihyasutra: an ancient document translated as family sutra, a religious text detailing ceremonies held in a Baramon household. 8 Brahma-Puran: one of the 18 major holy Hindu volumes, dedicated to the god Brahma. 9 Naisadha Charitra: The Life of Naisadha written by the Sanskrit poet Surinarsa. 10 Tantrik: the use of ritual and other methods to achieve a conscious state of oneness with a personified absolute being (god). While this is one of the most difficult concepts of Indian philosophy to define, the study of Tantrik is indispensable to understanding Hinduism. 11 Tusari Pooja: a ritual lasting from before marriage to the first wedding anniversary in which a woman prays to spend her life under the star of good fortune. 12 Sasthi Pooja: Prayers are given facing the sun in the Mithila region but this is different in other regions. 13 Gatra-Sankrants Pooja: a ritual held during the month of Kartik (October - November) as the rice plants start to ripen, praying to god for a bountiful harvest and overseeing the fields. 14 Madhu Shrawani Pooja: a ceremony for women held during the first month of Shrawana (July August) after marriage. 15 Kartik: August in the Hindu lunar calendar. (corresponding to October - November in the Solar calendar.) 16 Durvaachyat: a ritual in which a senior man of virtue gives blessings to the younger generation. 17 Sasthi Devi: a goddess, mother of Kumara, (Skanda god of War). 18 Bhagwati: also known as Bhagirati (another name for the goddess Ganga, personifying the Ganges River. 4

7 Part II: The World Women Have Passed Down Dr. Ram Dayal Rakesh In the second part of the forum, I m going to throw some light on Maithili women artists who are involved in Mithila paintings and their role in the welfare of the Maithili society. The cultural heritage of the Maithili people is very magnificent. Janakpur has been the center of Maithili culture since time immemorial. Women like Maitri 1 and Gargi 2 are well known personalities in the sphere of learning, not only in Mithila but also beyond the Mithila. Maithili people are very artistic in their nature, especially Maithili women who are lovers of art, culture and music. The art of Mithila is very impressive and innovative. It has a long and lively tradition. For the first time in the history of Mithila, an art exhibition was organized some twelve years ago in the United States Information Service (USIS) auditorium. Kathmanduites had a taste of different types of art. Five women artists were invited from Janakpur and its surrounding areas for this art exhibition organized by USIS Kathmandu and inaugurated by Julia Chang Bloch, the then ambassador of the United States of America. This may have been the first time in their lives that they had an opportunity to travel from their traditional huts and houses. These unknown women artists got an opportunity to show their creativity because of this show. Maithili women artists paint their lives on a canvas of mud. Traditionally they paint lovely and lively designs on the walls of their houses. They depict different objects on different occasions. They paint elephants, houses, horses and peacocks on the auspicious occasions of Deepawali 3 and Chhath 4. They are very religious minded. So they paint the images of their favorite gods and goddesses like Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Kali, Ganesh, Vishnu and their mounts. They are symbols of prosperity and good fortune. They paint pictures of the bride and bridegroom in the palanquin surrounded by the wedding party. They also paint images of parrots, cuckoos, bamboos and trees. As I explained in Part I, Alpana is the medium of artistic expression and drawn on an auspicious occasion. This form of art is very old. They also draw the design of many objects and events which have a permanent impact upon their minds and are familiar in their world. The walls of their houses are made of mud, the canvas is clay from nearby rivers and ponds and the pigments taken from plants and clays. These paintings are not everlasting. They last only from one season to another. They paint these artistic designs on the walls of their houses after white-washing every year on the occasion of Deepawali.

8 Today these paintings are disappearing because the older women die and the younger ones migrate from rural to urban areas due to political changes and modernization. Therefore, the exhibition organized some years before gave the women artists confidence, initiative and incentive to show their artistic validity. They also got encouragement to sense the validity of their dwindling traditions and more to revive them. Decorative wall paintings like these offer beauty in the harsh environment surrounding their small villages. House painting is a communal endeavor for Maithili women artists. Friends often join in following a tradition that has been handed down from mother to daughter for generations. They concentrate on the interiors of their houses because they spend much time indoors. They use a wide variety of pigments to paint zigzag designs on the wall on festive occasions. These artists draw inspiration from the mythology and legends of Janakpur. Therefore they paint the lifestyle of Radha 5 and Krishna, Sita and Rama. They paint different episodes and events of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Gita 6 and also the cultural life of the Maithili community together with different moods of nature with skilled fingers. The lotus is a powerful and pervasive image in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, emblematic among other things of auspicious female creativity, of the possibility for purity emerging from a defiled environment, and or royalty. Yoni 7 is usually depicted in the form of a lotus flower. It is symbol of sex and energy. This type of painting is done in Kohbar (in the room of the bride and groom) for celebrating the honeymoon on the occasion of marriage. Krishna is considered more sensuous, so they depict the conjugal life of Krishna and Radha on the walls and papers. They also depict the different aspects of Rama and Sita s life. The art of the Maithili women is washable in the rainy season because it is drawn on the outer walls of the houses and also on the floor of the courtyard. The practice of painting on paper is relatively new for most of the Maithili women.

9 Nowadays they are taught to use their painting techniques and traditional designs in printing ceramics, sewing and garments. Now they are concentrating their painting on note-books, photo-frames, writing sets, recycled cards, mirrors, ceramics bags and cushion covers, screens, tablecloths, ash-trays, T-shirts and tapestry. Maithili women artists prepare many things like these that are useful for day-to-day domestic purposes. These decorated and painted beautiful baskets are sold for a high price in the local bazaars. They are diverting their fertile minds from traditional paintings to commercial paintings that have a big demand, not only in the national market but also the international market. This modern trend is appreciable for the empowerment of the Maithili women. The hands of the Maithili women are always busy. In a free moment they make baskets out of Siki grass. These can be in the shape of elephants, leaves, fish and even people. They also make strong reed baskets with bold geometrical designs that are used for carrying purchases from the bazaar for storage in the household. The women artists of Mithila are the custodians of this customary art in the true sense of the term. Women are the patrons, protectors and promoters of the Mithila folk paintings. They are the legend makers and consequently they are the living legends of our time. Its future is bright and beautiful and it will never die as long as there are the creative and constructive hands of the Maithili women. They are the torchbearers of this traditional art. It is a reflection of the deep-rooted relation between woman, nature and the work of arts. In one word it can be said that it is an immortal art. It has been flowing from the fertile minds of the Maithili women from time immemorial. As a tradition Maithili women have always decorated the walls of their native places in the center in Janakpur where, without losing their originality, they developed their houses and huts with paintings depicting figures from Hindu mythology in abstract forms, sometimes resembling Tibetan Mandala. Janakpur is now famous for its colorful paintings on paper yet this tradition began in the first days of the Janakpur Women s Development Center (JWDC), under a grant from the Ella Lymar Cabot Trust 8. A talented group of woman was selected to learn how to transfer their wall designs to paper. They developed their skills in composition as well as in the use of color and line. JWDC was established in 1989 as the first NGO in Nepal to use traditional paintings for the empowerment and advancement of Maithili women. Paintings created by the group are rooted in the traditions that Maithili women have passed down through generations. On special occasions such as a marriage ceremony or festivals Maithili women paint lovely and lively, different designs and symbols on the mud walls of their homes. During the festival of Deepawali for example, women paint designs of elephants, tigers and peacocks symbolizing prosperity. Their main motto is to attract Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The Maithili women also enjoy painting gods, goddess and scenes from traditional folktales. Mithila folk art depicts women as both compassionate and nurturing, but also frightful and demonic. The paintings of Parvati and Lakshmi show women as mother goddesses and fertility spirits, while images of such wrathful legends as the black goddess Kali, the Devourer of Time and the powerful goddess Durga, portray a more fearful image of women. Maithili women have been scholars and artists from time immemorial. As I explained in the beginning of Part II, Maitri and Gargi were world-renowned philosophers whereas Sita herself, a paragon of beauty, was fond of arts, music, painting and poetry. Sita has been the perennial source of inspiration and imagination for world-famous poets like

10 Valmiki 9, Tulsidas 10 and Bhanubhakta 11 and Chanda Jha 12. Maithili women have a fine taste. As in the past, there is no specific school of art where one learns it. It is rather handed down from generation to generation. The so-called Aripan, is a magic circle representing a magically purified space for rituals and domestic religious ceremonies, the equivalent of the Tibetan Mandala. Like the latter it also represents the cosmos and the symbols used in these drawing express the cosmological concept of the Tantra. The Aripans are drawn by various female members of the household on ritually prescribed occasions on the clean-swept ground of the courtyards or inside the house. Ideally the design of an Aripan should be revealed to the lady artist as a result of mediation and general yogic experience. In practice the details of the various Aripans are learned by girls from watching the work of their mothers, grandmothers and other female relatives and neighbors. One thing I want to mention here is that the designs of Alpan are drawn geometrically. They may be rectangular, circular, square or triangular. It has forty-one forms. The most famous form of Aripan is sarvatobhadra 13. It is an auspicious symbol drawn around the sacred plant of Tulsi, basil plant. This is the most powerful square Yantra 14. This Yantra stands for the creative forces of the universe and is generally drawn at the center of the ritual area. It is decorated with five colors: yellow for earth, white for water, red for fire, green for air and black for space. A 16-squared sarvatra bhadra Yantra can be worn in a talisman to make the wearer desirable to the opposite sex. This Yantra is drawn on birch bark using must saffron and a sow. Yantras are generally engraved on gold, silver or copper plates and worshipped or worn as an amulet. They can be written on paper or bark and inserted into talismans to be worn around the neck or arm. The most intricately patterned diagrams are dotted with vermilion at specific points. Most of these are in the form of a lotus flower or plant. Speedy execution and mechanical repetition of traditional forms combined with an almost mathematical purity of drawing lend a stylistic certitude and a magical connotation to the Aripan. Next I would like to explain what kind of changes are beginning to grow in the minds of Maithili women because of current new changes in their society. Mithila painting is done by only women so it is called women painting. Men are not involved at all. Only women paint Mithila paintings or drawings but the real situation is that women are not highly educated. The literacy rate is very low so they are compelled to reside in their homes. They are married at an early age and they are confined to the four walls of their houses. They have no time to spend on creative things so they make these paintings to give as presents. Unmarried girls make these paintings and give them to their would-be husbands so this inspires them to paint, to make these paintings. Nowadays there is a very, very drastic change in their mentality, in their mind set because the economic standard is not rising as they expect and there is the problem of living, hand to mouth. Their economic standard is not so satisfactory, so woman are also engaged in some creative things which are sellable, which can support them and they choose these paintings because they can raise their standard of living. They can be the source of income so they change. The JWDC has made a survey of these arts and has given its views.

11 Throughout the whole Janakpur area around 2,000 to 3,000 women are getting employment directly and indirectly in arts and other women are also interested in becoming involved in this field because they have nothing else to do to better their standard of life. So many Janakpur women artists are visiting Kathmandu with their products in different shops. They do not know about the appropriate channel of marketing for their products but still this is high time to highlight the marketing situation. Their problems are engaged in women s upliftment of social-economic condition. Thus this thing has inspired them to make Mithila paintings and this is a suitable means of their livelihood so they are compelled to this drastic change. Next I would like to mention about changes in Maithili society in relation to the caste system. First of all you have to know that there is racial discrimination in the Nepalese society as a whole and there is also racial discrimination in the Maithili society because there is hierarchy, there is casteism in both Maithili society and the Nepalese society. So the people of lower caste or the women of lower caste are exploited at every level. They don t get equal opportunities and that is also a question of gender inequality. There is no gender equality in the Maithili society. Girls are not preferred; boys are preferred, boys are loved, boys are given maximum facility but girls are deprived of those facilities. This is a very sociological problem that we are facing still now. When there is a time of gender equality there is an age of women empowerment but women are not respected in the social strata. So it s a very bitter truth that we know and I hope you also understand it. You will be astonished to know that some girls are buried after birth. At the time of birth they are killed intentionally because of financial conditions. The parents have no subsequent money to rear them, to give them in marriage; they have to give a dowry so sometimes they kill their girl child. It s very unfortunate but it is being done, it is happening in the Maithili society. It is a very, very regrettable thing. It is a very inhumane thing in my view. So this is the position of the girl-child in the Maithili society but now this is not the case, it is changing; changing day by day and I hope that Maithili society will change very soon. I am hopeful. And we are also trying to do something for the betterment of the Maithili society by doing many social activities, by creating awareness in the Maithili community. Girls are equally good. So we are trying to create awareness in the backward areas of the Maithili community. The Maithili society is getting urbanized, getting modernized so this trend will not last for long, I can see. Thank you very much. 1 Maitri: a person s name, originating from Maitreya in Sanskrit, a founder of the Vijnapti-matrata Sect, teaching that everything in the world is created by one s consciousness: a Buddhist philosopher from around AD270 in India. Later confused with Maitreya.

12 2 Gargi: a person s name originating from an ancient natural philosopher; this name can be found in the Veda (ancient sacred book of Baramon religion) written in Sanskrit. 3 Deepawali: meaning line of lights, originating from the Sanskrit word Deewali, a Hindu seeding festival held during the winter; held on the day of the new moon during Kartik (August) every year; people display lights in their doorways to receive gods and goddesses such as Lakshmi. 4 Chhath Pooja: a ritual held 7 days after Deewali; the same as Sasthi Pooja in that people in Bihar conduct a ritual to worship the god of the sun on the banks of the River Ganges; it is one of the biggest festivals of the Mithila region. 5 Radha: Lord Krishna is adored by field maidens known as Gopi; Radha is a Gopi, well-known as a mistress of Lord Krishna. 6 Gita: an abbreviation of Bhagavad Gita (meaning Songs of God ), an anthology of religious and philosophical poems which is the 6th volume of ancient epics, Mahabharata. 7 Yoni: a Hindi image of female genital organs; it is worshipped as a symbol of Shakti, sexual energy. 8 Ella Lymar Cabot Trust: a famous US foundation providing fellowship programs and support for art activities in US colleges and other countries. 9 Valmiki: a legendary poet in ancient India believed to be the author of Ramayana. 10 Tulsidas: A poet of Hindu religion in India, ( ). 11 Bhanubhakta: believed to be the first and most respected Nepalese poet who established a fixed form of verse using the Nepalese language, ( ). 12 Chanda Jha: A Maithil poet in the medieval period. 13 sarvatobhadra: a design of Mandala or a chart placing 28 constellations etc. on a square form. 14 Yantra: in Tantrik religion every existence has its own vibration which corresponds to its form; Yantra (meaning assistance ) is a depiction of this concept; it is drawn as an assistance for meditation or for assisting one s approach to god; many of them are expressed in a symbolic and geometric pattern.