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Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery began their construction of a sand mandala during an opening ceremony in the art galleries of Allegheny College Tuesday afternoon. The Mystical Arts of Tibet program, part of Allegheny’s ongoing Year of Mindfulness, will continue through the week and end with a closing ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The lamas on Tuesday prepared the site for the mandala with chants and music before they started to draw the line design for the mandala, intricate and exacting work that required the use of chalk lines, rulers and a large protractor and took hours to complete. Throughout the week, the monks will pour millions of grains of brightly colored sand into place using traditional metal funnels called chak-pur.

See a photo gallery from the opening ceremony below:

See coverage from The Meadville Tribune here.

The monks will construct the mandala Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, and on Saturday, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.The public is invited to observe the lamas while they create the mandala; admission to the exhibition is free.

The Year of Mindfulness is a series of events and a challenge to the campus community to live this year with mindfulness and intention. For more information, visit allegheny.edu/yearofmindfulness.