© Epoch
Another extremely intricate image, but based on the classic geometrical mandala design. Lots of figures, some recognisable - in the middle at the top is a Kannon with one thousand arms and ten faces.
 This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size.
 In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1500 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: E15037 (15-037 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$30.61 €22.56 £17.86)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$12.24 €9.02 £7.14)
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© Epoch
A classic mandala design, of worlds within worlds. At 216 small pieces, this would make a delightful introduction to the art of mandala puzzling - but with the usual number of tiny figures, there must be almost one per piece.
This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size. In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 216 pieces; 18 x 26 cm (7" x 10")
Code: E04007 (04-007 on box)
Retail price ¥1200 (approx. US$12.24 €9.02 £7.14)
Shipping from ¥400 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$4.08 €3.01 £2.38)
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© Dev Kumar Lama
The classic mandala pattern, representing the cosmos, with a ring of fire surrounding the four-gated palace, in the centre of which sits the Bodhisattva Kannon. Various characters populate the outside, heavenly ones at the top, and more worldly at the bottom - particularly a typically blue and angry-looking Mahakala.
This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle. In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: A10493 (1000-493 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$36.73 €27.07 £21.43)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$12.24 €9.02 £7.14)
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© Epoch
This is Avalokitêsvara, the Buddha of eleven faces and 1,000 hands. Somehow, the original character is a Tibetan god, but by the time he reached China, he had become female, with the name Guanyin, which became Kannon in Japanese. Though often known as the "Goddess of Mercy," strictly she is not a goddess, but a Bodhisattva, an incarnation of the Buddha.
In the detail below you can see half a dozen or so of her hands: the white circle around her consists of most of the remaining one thousand packed into a tight fan.
This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size. In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1500 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: E15036 (15-036 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$30.61 €22.56 £17.86)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$12.24 €9.02 £7.14)
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© Appleone
A pastoral feeling to this mandala. The central figure, presumably Kuze, another persona of Kannon, sits four-armed on a lotus blossom, immediately surrounded by birds and flowers. The characters at the top look heavenly, while those at the bottom look less friendly, particularly the typically angry-looking Mahakala in the lower right corner.
This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle. In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: A10494 (1000-494 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$36.73 €27.07 £21.43)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$12.24 €9.02 £7.14)
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© Epoch
Mahakala is a Bodhisattva, one of the personages of Buddha, with a wrathful side to his characters. He appears in both lower corners of the picture here, trampling on an outstretched lady. Hmm, well, it's often difficult to tell the boys from the girls in these pictures, but in contrast to this violence, the top centre vignette fairly clearly shows a couple embracing. (The exact configuration is difficult to determine, since characters frequently have four, six, or more arms.)
Detail shows the embrace (top centre).
Essay on Mahakala by Tom Suchan and Chaya Chandrasekhar - describes him as "characteristically depicted with an angry face, pot-bellied, and standing on a human corpse or the elephant-headed, Hindu god, Ganesha"
In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: E11009 (11-009 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$30.61 €22.56 £17.86)
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© Epoch
Kannon sits in the four-armed pose associated with this, the most famous of Buddhist mantras: "Om mani padme hum." The six syllables appear in the Tibetan alphabet in various places through the picture, together with a cornucopia of details, from snakes and vultures to peacocks in trees. The detail on the left shows the mantra at the base of one of the stupas - it seems that the six characters are the part within the pink rectangle.
In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 2000 pieces; 73 x 102 cm (29" x 40")
Code: E20112 (20-112 on box)
Retail price ¥4800 (approx. US$48.98 €36.09 £28.57)
Shipping from ¥1950 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$19.90 €14.66 £11.61)
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© Epoch
A mandala is a portrayal of the Buddhist conception of the cosmos, and Shaka is the Japanese form of S(h)akyamuni, one of the personages of Buddha. Here we see lots of people doing interesting things; at least one donkey, four elephants, and various dragons.
There is no indication of who painted this picture, though it appears to be a modern version.
In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: E11010 (11-010 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$30.61 €22.56 £17.86)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$12.24 €9.02 £7.14)
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© Epoch
A veritable cornucopia of little personages (Buddhas?) doing their own things - sitting on tables, growing extra arms, riding tigers, doing the lotus position, or just being geometrically arranged.
The original title, Kongôkai Mandara (or Kongoukai) is the Japanese way of reading the Chinese characters which are the translation of the Sanskrit "Vajradhatu mandala", which means something like "The Mandala of the Indestructible Realm". This Vajra, sometimes called "Diamond" or "Adamantine," is apparently a feature of the Tibetan version of Buddhism; it also appears to refer to four guardian warriors that protect the Buddha, and sure enough, within the big circle of this design, there are four principal surrounding figures. A complicated story, a complicated image, and a puzzle that is only for those who really want a challenge!
A web search on "Vajradhatu mandala" shows many old paintings with this title; plainly this is a modern interpretation of the same theme, but there is no indication of the artist.
This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size. In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 2016 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: E23006 (23-006 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$30.61 €22.56 £17.86)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$12.24 €9.02 £7.14)
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© Epoch
A veritable cornucopia of little personages (Buddhas?) doing their own things - sitting on tables, growing extra arms, riding tigers, doing the lotus position, or just being geometrically arranged.
The original title, Kongôkai Mandara (or Kongoukai) is the Japanese way of reading the Chinese characters which are the translation of the Sanskrit "Vajradhatu mandala", which means something like "The Mandala of the Indestructible Realm". This Vajra, sometimes called "Diamond" or "Adamantine," is apparently a feature of the Tibetan version of Buddhism; it also appears to refer to four guardian warriors that protect the Buddha, and sure enough, within the big circle of this design, there are four principal surrounding figures. A complicated story, a complicated image, and a puzzle that is only for those who really want a challenge!
A web search on "Vajradhatu mandala" shows many old paintings with this title; plainly this is a modern interpretation of the same theme, but there is no indication of the artist.
In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 2000 pieces; 73 x 102 cm (29" x 40")
Code: E20108 (20-108 on box)
Retail price ¥4800 (approx. US$48.98 €36.09 £28.57)
Shipping from ¥1950 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$19.90 €14.66 £11.61)
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What is a mandala, anyway?
Different sources give elusively varying definitions of what a mandala is: a portrayal of the Buddhist conception of the cosmos, or of just the realm of a particular Bodhisattva? From a mystic significance, the combination of basic geometrical design with baroque exhuberance has given the genre a wider appeal, particularly in New Age circles.
These puzzles all appear to be modern drawings on the traditional theme, but there is no indication of the identity or location of the artist. Some of the themes are well-known in Japan, so for the Kannon and Shaka mandalas, the title is written in Chinese characters; Mahakala, for example, is not so well known, and is transliterated into katakana. (Which is why the "Mahakara" on the box must be a simple mistake.)
A web search for "Mandala" will show lots of relevant sites...
Deleted puzzles
For reference: you can view all the mandala puzzles that are out of print in the Attic.
