This volume illustrates the scroll of Rtasamhara. It is the earliest known iconography of the Vajradhatu-mandala, probably drawn by Subhakara (637-735) himself. It bears his signature at the end; the only signature of a master of Nalanda. He was an expert sculptor of images. It illustrates every deity in sambhoga-kaya, consort, dharmakaya and nirmanakaya form. The four forms have been placed alongside for clarity.

In 1982 Roger Goepper was describing the dharani-mandala in the Sumtsek of Alchi. He was puzzled by its central group whose figures were all female. The Lamas had no clue. He visited me for clarification. He was thrilled to find the precise identification in the Rtasamhara. What he had identified as 'Buddha Ratnasambhava in Female Form' was his consort Ratnavajrini (no. 41 in the scroll). The parallel representation of the four forms was worked out for him and is being published after quarter of a century. It is a basic work for the correct identification of the deities of a mandala.

The Earliest Mandala of Subhakarasimha, Lokesh Chandra, Aditya Prakashan, Hardcover, 119 pages, $65.00

Prof. Lokesh Chandra is currently the Director of the International Academy of Indian Culture which is a premier research institution for Asian cultures. He has been a Vice-President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research. He is a well-known historian and a renowned scholar of Tibetan, Mongolian and Sino-Japanese Buddhism. He has also served as a member of the Indian Parliament. In 2006 he was recognized with India's Padma Bhushan award.

He is the son of the world-renowned scholar of Oriental Studies and Linguistics Prof. RaghuVira. He was born in 1927, obtained his Master's degree in 1947 from the Punjab University at Lahore, and followed it with a Doctorate in Literature and Philosophy from the State University of Utrecht (Netherlands) in 1950. Starting with an understanding of the most ancient of India's spiritual expression enshrined in the Vedic tradition, he has moved on to the interlocution between India, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan, South East Asia, and the Indo-European languages. He has studied over twenty languages of the world. He has to his credit 612 works and text editions.

CONTENTS: The Earliest Mandala of Subhakarasimha
	Preface	7
1.	The Root Tantra of the Vajradhatu-mandala	13
2.	Transmission of the Gobu-shingan	16
3.	Life of Subhakarasimha	25
4.	Symbolism of the Vajradhatu-mandala	28
5.	Literature cited	38
6.	Gobu-shingan (reproduction of the ms)	40
7.	Portrait of Subhakarasimha (signed by him)	115
	Index	116