This complex mandala depicts Dharmadhatu Vagishvara Manjushri surrounded by 219 deities — the first of the seven principal mandalas of the Manjushri Namasangiti Tantra. At the centre Manjushri has four faces and eight hands, seated in vajra posture and ringed by the buddhas of the four directions with their consorts and attendants. The top register shows fifteen forms of Manjushri, including the wrathful Yamari emanations; the upper corners hold the mandalas of Orange and White Arapachana Manjushri. White and Blue Achala, White and Green Tara, and Yellow and Black Jambhala occupy the lower corners. A long inscription along the base dedicates the work to the Five Superior Teachers of Sakya. In all, twenty-six different forms of Manjushri appear, drawn from the early Tantras.
