Construction of Sri Yantra                 Back

Describe a circle, with an imaginary vertical line of a suitable length as its diameter.
Divide the diameter into forty-eight equal parts and mark off the sixth, twelfth, seventeenth, twentieth, twenty-third, twenty-seventh, thirtieth, thirty-sixth and forty-second divisions from the top. Draw nine chords, at right angles to the diameter, through the nine points marked off, and number them accordingly.
Rub off 1/16th part of No. 1,   5/48ths of No. 2,   1/3rd of No. 4,   3/8th of No. 5,   1/3rd of No. 6,   1/12th of No.8, and   1/16th of No. 9,   at both ends of each line.
Draw triangles with lines, Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 as bases and the middle points of Nos. 6, 9, 8, 7, 2, 1 and 3 respectively as their apexes.
Draw also the two triangles with Nos. 3 and 7 as their bases and the lower and the upper extremeties of the diameter as apexes respectively.
In the middle of the innermost triangle place the bindu.
Thus we get forty-three triangles pointing outwards, composed of one in the middle, eight triangles around it, two sets of ten triangles around the eight triangles, one set around the other, and fourteen triangles around them.
Then, by marking off 16 points in the circumference equidistant from one another, commencing from the upper extremity of the diameter and constructing one petal over each of them, form the eight-petalled lotus.
Then, circumscribe a circle touching the outer extremity of the petals. Divide the circumference of the circle so described into 32 equal divisions and draw symmetrically sixteen petals over them, as before.
Then circumscribe a circle round the sixteen-petalled lotus, as before, and enclose the second circle so described in two concentric circles at equal distances from each other.
Construct three squares about the outermost circle, with sides equidistant from each other, and the innermost square not to touch the outermost circle. Mark off four doorways on the four sides, each equidistant from either extremeties, and rub off the interspaces.
The figure thus formed is the shrIcakra. The centre of the circle is known as the bindu. VAmakeshwara tantra says that the five triangles with their apexes pointing downwards are indicative of the shaktI and the four triangles with their apexes pointing upwards are of shiva.
According to some traditions the distance from the bindu  to the innermost circle should equal the distance from the innermost circle to the outer gate, and the gates should be left open. This will result in this form.