The Theory of the Mandala and its Representation in Chahar-Bagh Carpets

Mandala is an Archetype which has represented its concept in the primary form of circle, rectangle or a combination of both in most civilizations; however, different details has emerged into this pattern based on the cultural background of each region, thus creating various forms. In terms of concept, Mandala explaining location of the gods, temples and it used for meditation in the Hindu and Buddhist tradition and image of the Paradise or the world plan in the Iranian tradition. In this paper, it has been tried to re-identify form and concepts of Mandala and compare them with Chahar-Bagh carpets. The purpose of the paper is to provide evidence regarding the representation of Mandala in Chahar-Bagh carpets. Information has been gathered based on documents and has been analyzed through comparative reasoning, taking into concepts, categories and the relationship amongst them. Results show that concepts such as “Naghsh-e-Jahan/world pattern,” “Bagh-e-Behesht/eden,” “Ab-e-Hayat/eternity spring,” “Fences preventing entrance of Demons,” are found in Chahar-Bagh carpets and comparable with Mandala in other cultures. From the form point of view, dividing Chahar-Baghi carpets by cross like creek with an eternity spring or a central palace in the middle- the spring later changes into Toranj- also matches Mandala form.