The mandala offered may consist of a flat-bottomed bowl, held bottom side up, with three mounds of raw grain or gems, placed one atop the other on its surface and contained within progressively smaller concentric rings. It is crowned with an ornamental diadem.

The Mandala is a representation of a world system. It is used as an offering made to a spiritual teacher in request for a teaching, the conferring of a set of vows, and for the conferring of a tantric empowerment. It is also necessary in Ngondro practice to make mandala offerings in these types of containers.