Mandala Deities in the Nispannayogavali

Abhayakaragupta (11th-12th cent.), who was an abbot of the Vikramasila Monastery in India, compiled a survey of the structure of mandalas. This work, called the Nispannayogavali (NPY, Garland of Completed Yogas), describes briefly the deities of each of the twenty-six mandalas considered to be popular at that time. It has become a standard reference work on mandalas in India, Tibet and Nepal. In the Kathmandu Valley, this work has been used as one of the most basic sources for Buddhist iconography.