The Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) is home to a comprehensive collection of art from the Himalayas and surrounding regions. The artistic heritage of this vast and culturally varied area of the world remains relatively obscure. Through changing exhibitions and an array of engaging public programs, RMA offers opportunities to explore the artistic legacy of the Himalayan region and to appreciate its place in the context of world cultures.

The mandala, one of Himalayan Buddhism's most ubiquitous symbols, is created as an artistic aid for meditation. Depicting a realm that is both complex and sacred, the mandala is a visualization tool meant to advance practitioners toward a state of enlightenment.

The destruction of the Sand Mandala is consistent with the Buddhist view that the world is impermanent and constantly in transition.

The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan opened on Friday, September 19, 2008, and remained on view through January 5, 2009. The occasion is the opening of the first comprehensive exhibition of Bhutanese sacred art in the continental United States at the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA), the foremost museum in the West for the study and display of the art of the Himalayas and surrounding regions.