Yantra

Yantra

tool, mechanism

image attributed with magical and spiritual properties in the tantric religious movements of Hinduism and Buddhism. Yantra is inextricably linked with the mantra (the personification of the sacred word) and is a hidden form of the Deity. Yantras can be either flat or bulky, for example, carved on a metal plate or cast from bronze, drawn on the floor of a house or on paper. Yantras are used in religious worship and for meditation, among ordinary people they are popular as amulets.