Mantra mandalas arrange sacred syllables, most famously Om Mani Padme Hum, in concentric rings around a central deity or seed syllable. Each letter is painted as precisely as a figure, since the script itself is regarded as the deity's speech made visible.

Practitioners use these works as supports for recitation practice, resting the eyes on the turning rows of gold Tibetan script against deep blue or black grounds. Calligrapher-painters letter every syllable by hand, so no two mantra mandalas carry exactly the same rhythm of text.