Mandala of the goddess Sitatapatra Aparajita, Tibet, 1700?-1800. Published with The Asian Art Museum/Chong-Moon Rae Center for Asian Arts and Culture. Devotional paintings like the one reproduced in this jigsaw puzzle helped to spread Buddhism from India into Tibet, China, and beyond.

Initially, traveling storytellers used the paintings on cloth (thangka) as visual aids while they related their tales. In time, such paintings took on a strictly devotional character and became teaching tools used by Buddhist monks. Thangka are not manifestations of an individual?s creativity; they are executed according to strict standards devised to ensure that the images of the deities convey the desired spiritual effect.

This gloriously rich and colorful, dazzyingly complex puzzle presents a mandala of Sitatapatra Aparajita, an invincible, parasol-wielding goddess who destroys evil spirits. Thoughtfully conceived and engagingly intricate, the 1,000-piece interlocking jigsaw puzzles combine superb color reproduction, stunning and unusual images, and sturdy construction to delight generations of novice and veteran puzzleworkers.

(WARNING: Choking hazard?small parts. Not suitable for children under 3 years.)