Yantra
A geometric diagram, drawn or engraved, used in Hindu and Buddhist worship as a seat for a deity or a focus for a rite.
Also: sri yantra, mystic diagram
A yantra is a diagram of interlocking triangles, circles, lotus petals and squares. The best known is the Sri Yantra, associated with the goddess Lalita Tripurasundari in Shakta Tantra. Worshippers hold that a properly consecrated yantra becomes a dwelling place of the deity, and it may be drawn on paper, engraved on copper, or set in a temple. Small yantras are also worn or kept in the home for protection or success, usually after a priest has prepared them with mantra. Methods of use and the meaning of each part are taught within lineages. Art historians study yantras as sacred geometry, and the commercial trade in them is large.